Winning isn't everything: Guilt proneness and competitive vs. non-competitive motivation

OBJECTIVE

Guilt proneness is associated with both high motivation to succeed and enhanced concern for others. However, in competition, achieving success requires harming others' interests, which demotivates guilt-prone individuals. Given the prevalence of competition in social and professional life, we examine the relation between guilt proneness, general motivation, and competitive motivation.

METHOD

Two experiments and two laboratory studies (N = 1735) measured guilt proneness, general motivation, and competitive motivation, and their effects on competitive preferences and choices. Study settings included students' choice of playing a game individually vs. competitively (Study 1), physicians' likelihood to seek residency in medical fields characterized by high competitiveness (Study 2), amateur athletes' preferences between inclusive and win-oriented team strategies (Study 3), and online workers' evaluations of a hypothetical scenario (Study 4).

RESULTS

Guilt proneness was related positively to general motivation, but negatively to competitive motivation. Guilt proneness, indirectly through lower competitive motivation, predicted a lower likelihood of pursuing competitive paths and preference for non-competitive strategies. Emphasizing prosocial aspects of competitiveness attenuated these effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Guilt proneness is related to high general motivation but to a lower desire to win. Guilt-prone individuals strive for excellence, but through non-competitive paths, whereas people with lower guilt proneness prefer competing.

Tracking COVID-19 vaccination expectancies and vaccination refusal in the United States

To identify factors that predict COVID-19 vaccination refusal and show how expectancies affect vaccination acceptance for non-vaccinated adults, we used a monthly repeated cross-sectional sample from June/2021 to October/2021 to collect data on vaccination behaviors and predictor variables for 2,116 US adults over 50 years of age. Selection bias modeling - which is required when data availability is a result of behavioral choice - predicts two outcomes: (1) no vaccination vs. vaccination for the entire sample and (2) the effects of expectancy indices predicting vaccination Refuser vs. vaccination Accepters for the unvaccinated group. Vaccine refusers were younger and less educated, endorsed common misconceptions about the COVID-19 epidemic, and were Black. Vaccination expectancies were related to vaccination refusal in the unvaccinated eligible group: negative expectancies increased vaccine refusal, while positive expectancies decreased it. We conclude that behavior-related expectancies (as opposed to more stable psychological traits) are important to identify because they are often modifiable and provide a point of intervention, not just for COVID-19 vaccination acceptance but also for other positive health behaviors.

Jumping with a parachute - is promoting research integrity meaningful?

Considering world-wide interest in prevalent research malpractice at higher education institutions, we focus on the role of European national research integrity promoters (ombudspersons, research funding organizations, research integrity networks) who play a role at the forefront of bringing systemic change. Given the constraints of the role of research integrity promoters, we strive to grasp the meaningfulness of their work. To accomplish that, we employ a qualitative research approach and use individual semi-structured interviews with 10 national research integrity promoters. Employing reflexive applied thematic analysis, we discuss our findings in light of the structural symbolic interactionist approach and sensemaking theory. We conclude that encapsulated in challenging prerequisites of the national research integrity promotion work, the meaningfulness of such work emerges through integrating research integrity in all aspects of academic life to entail indispensable systemic changes in academia.

Safety management implementation drivers for construction projects: a structural equation modelling approach

The construction industry is one of the hazardous fields due to its exceptional environment. Therefore, this work aimed to assess the essential drivers needed for employing safety management in the Palestinian construction industry. The drivers for safety management were recognized from earlier literature, where the questionnaires were dispersed to professionals from construction projects. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) technique was then performed to contextually adjust the identified drivers. The results showed that safety management drivers could be categorized into three constructs: management, awareness and policy. In addition, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was performed to generate the safety management driver's model. The results indicated that management drivers were vital drivers for adopting safety management. The study's findings would act as a reference for construction stakeholders to decrease danger and enhance the construction project's success via implementing safety management drivers.

Joy at work and vocational identity during COVID-19: A structural equation model

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the interrelations between joy at work, vocational identity, and COVID-19-related latent variables.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design was adopted to survey 253 registered nurses through nursing organizations and social networking sites during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Structural Equation Modeling through Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was employed to accurately analyze and estimate relationships among joy at work, vocational identity, and COVID-19-related constructs in compliance with published standards and guidelines.

RESULTS

Thirty-one items received convergent validity measures to represent the five study constructs related to joy at work, vocational identity, and Work life Impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Meaning, Engagement, and Growth (MEG), Compassion, Sensitivity, and Respect (CSR), Trust, Support, and Flexibility (TSF), Vocational Identity Questionnaire (VIQ), and Work life Impact of COVID-19 pandemic (CI). The generated model exhibited good model fit and consistent quality indices. The data fit statistically with the model: (Average Path Coefficient = 0.195, p < 0.000); Average R-Squared = 0.156, p < 0.003; Average Adjusted R-Squared = 0.151, p < 0.004; Average Variance Inflation Factor = 2.193 (within the ideal range); Average Full collinearity VIF = 2.388 (within the ideal range), and Tenenhaus Goodness of Fit (GoF) = 0.329. The perceived Work life Impact of COVID-19 pandemic (CI) was a significant predictor of joy at work constructs (MEG, CSR, and TSF) and VIQ with direct effects. It also exerted a negative influence over MEG and TSF, but positively on CSR and VIQ. Notably, joy at work constructs significantly mediated the effects of CI on VIQ.

CONCLUSION

A structural model was developed that offers insights and a parsimonious explanation for the interrelations of COVID-19, joy at work, and vocational identity variables. The pandemic unquestionably influences the nurses' perceived joy, sense of calling, and meaning in life's work, and joy at work enhances nurses' work-life worth during challenging times.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

An increased understanding of nurses' joy at work during challenging times can potentially influence work culture, informs individual nurses, nurse leaders, and healthcare systems in all professional domains of practice and provides the foundational information to identify barriers to joy and strategies that enhance joy.

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the LIVES Daily Hassles Scale in Chinese Samples

Daily hassles have a larger effect on our health and well-being than those major events in daily life. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the LIVES Daily Hassles Scale (LIVES-DHS) in Chinese samples, which consisted of 815 people at work aged between 20 and 60 years old. The results of both Explanatory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the five-factor model solution was better than other solutions, which supported the original structure of LIVES-DHS. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the five subdimensions varied between.721 and.818, with the entire scale of.920, and McDonald's ω values of the five subdimensions varied between.716 and.821, with the entire scale of.936. The results also showed the support for measurement invariance of the five-factor model across different groups, which is the first to offer evidence for configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance of LIVES-DHS across gender, age and educational groups.

A systematic investigation into the reliability of inter-temporal choice model parameters

Decades of work have been dedicated to developing and testing models that characterize how people make inter-temporal choices. Although parameter estimates from these models are often interpreted as indices of latent components of the choice process, little work has been done to examine their reliability. This is problematic because estimation error can bias conclusions that are drawn from these parameter estimates. We examine the reliability of parameter estimates from 11 prominent models of inter-temporal choice by (a) fitting each model to data from three previous experiments with designs representative of those typically used to study inter-temporal choice, (b) examining the consistency of parameters estimated for the same person based on different choice sets, and (c) conducting a parameter recovery analysis. We find generally low correlations between parameters estimated for the same person from the different choice sets. Moreover, parameter recovery varies considerably between models and the experimental designs upon which parameter estimates are based. We conclude that many parameter estimates reported in previous research are likely unreliable and provide recommendations on how to enhance the reliability of inter-temporal choice models for measurement purposes.

Exploring the secrets of super-aging: a UK Biobank study on brain health and cognitive function

Communities across the globe are faced with a rapidly aging society, where age is the main risk factor for cognitive decline and development of Alzheimer's and related diseases. Despite extensive research, there have been no successful treatments yet. A rare group of individuals called "super-agers" have been noted to thrive with their exceptional ability to maintain a healthy brain and normal cognitive function even in old age. Studying their traits, lifestyles, and environments may provide valuable insight. This study used a data-driven approach to identify potential super-agers among 7121 UK Biobank participants and found that these individuals have the highest total brain volume, best cognitive performance, and lowest functional connectivity. The researchers suggest a novel hypothesis that these super-agers possess enhanced neural processing efficiency that increases with age and introduce a definition of the "neural efficiency index." Furthermore, several other types of aging were identified and significant structural-functional differences were observed between them, highlighting the benefit of research efforts in personalized medicine and precision nutrition.

Establishing a Cystic Fibrosis Learning Network: Interventions to promote collaboration and data-driven improvement at scale

Introduction

A learning health network is a type of learning health system in which stakeholders use network organization to improve health and health care. Building on existing resources in the cystic fibrosis (CF) community, the Cystic Fibrosis Learning Network (CFLN) was designed to improve medical outcomes and quality of life through an intentional focus on achieving reliable evidence-based chronic care delivery and creating a system for data-driven collaborative learning.

Methods

We describe the development and growth of the CFLN considering six domains of a Network Maturity Grid: system leadership; governance and policy management; quality improvement (QI); engagement and community building; data and analytics; and research. We illustrate the impact of the CFLN experience on chronic care processes and indicators of collaborative infrastructure.

Results

The CFLN represents 36 accredited care centers in the CF Foundation Care Center Network caring for over 6300 patients. Of 6779 patient clinical care visits/quarter, 77% are entered into the CF Foundation Patient Registry within 30 days, providing timely means to track outcomes. Collaborative visit planning is occurring in 93% of clinical care visits to share agenda setting with patients and families. Almost all CFLN teams (94%, n = 34) have a patient/family partner (PFP), and 74% of PFPs indicate they are actively participating, taking ownership of, or leading QI initiatives with the interdisciplinary care team. In 2022, 97% of centers reported completing 1-13 improvement cycles per month, and 82% contributed to monthly QI progress reports to share learning.

Conclusion

The CFLN is a maturing, collaborative infrastructure. CFLN centers practice at an advanced level of coproduction. The CFLN fosters interdisciplinary and PFP leadership and the performance of consistent data-driven improvement cycles. CFLN centers are positioned to respond to rapid changes in evidence-based care and advance the practice of QI and implementation science on a broader scale.

A scoping review of outer context constructs in dissemination and implementation science theories, models, and frameworks

Many studies have explored organizational factors that facilitate implementation. However, there is still a limited understanding of determinants external to the implementing organization and their effects on evidence-based intervention (EBI) adoption, implementation, and outcomes. The purpose of this scoping review was to assess definitions of context and identify salient determinants of outer context found in dissemination and implementation theories, models, and frameworks. We employed a compilation of dissemination and implementation frameworks from two reviews as the data source. We abstracted the following information: type of article, outcomes of the framework, presence of a context definition, presence of any outer setting definition and the definition, number and domains of outer setting mentioned, definitions of outer context constructs, and any quantitative measures of outer setting. We identified 19 definitions of outer context. Forty-seven (49%) frameworks reported one or more specific constructs of the outer setting. While the outer context domains described in the frameworks varied, the most common domains were policy (n = 24), community (n = 20), partnerships (n = 13), and communications (n = 12). Based on our review of the frameworks, more conceptualization and measurement development for outer context domains are needed. Few measures were found and definitions of domains varied across frameworks. Expanding outer context construct definitions would advance measure development for important factors external to the organizations related to EBI implementation.

YouTube’s Yoga with Adriene as a somametamnemata: Exploring experiences of self-care and wellness in times of crisis

Drawing on the Foucauldian technologies of the self, this study explores how individuals re-envision practices of wellbeing outside of traditional organizational contexts during extreme events. Based on a thematic analysis of 7234 comments posted on the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel in 2020, this study unpacks a technologically mediated practice of self-care, which we conceptualize as somametamnemata. Our findings illustrate three entangled aspects of somametamnemata relating to yoga, a form of bodywork: Caring about self through practicing yoga online; caring about self and others through sharing about yoga in written comments; and caring about self and others through responding to shared verbalizations of yoga. This study distinguishes somametamnemata from known practices of self-care, advancing existing literature on technologies of self by overcoming the dichotomy between negative views of ill-being and positive views of wellbeing. By situating the potentiality of individual wellbeing within ill-being, we shift debates and discussions of “corporate wellness” beyond organizational boundaries.

Does green finance stimulate green innovation of heavy-polluting enterprises? Evidence from green finance pilot zones in China

There is a relative dearth of empirical studies quantitatively analyzing the implementation effect of green finance reform and innovation pilot zones (GFRIs) on green innovation at the micro-enterprise level. Thus, this paper aims to construct the difference-in-difference-in-difference method to explore the influence of Chinese GFRIs on corporate green innovation of heavy-polluting enterprises based on green patent data. Results show that the pilot policy has significantly decreased green patents of heavy-polluting enterprises by approximately 42.64%, indicating that the policy has a significant innovation inhibition effect and fails to exert the Porter effect. Furthermore, establishing GFRIs has a more effective inhibition effect on the green invention patent than the green utility model patent. Moreover, although enterprises of different scales have different innovation capabilities, the negative impact of GFRIs on green innovation of heavy-polluting enterprises is widespread. Still, the negative impact is more pronounced for big-scale enterprises. The above empirical evidence is essential in formulating green finance development strategies and promoting green economic transformation.

Was CSR in our minds? The relevance of CSR in the vision and mission of Indian companies through the lens of ownership

Purpose

This study aims to explore the patterns of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and investments across different ownership groups and relevance of CSR practices in the vision and mission (V&M) statements of firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the neo-institutional theory approach, which explains similarities and differences in the CSR practices of organisations embedded within (and between) similar sectoral contexts. The study accounts the CSR activities of the top 100 companies listed on the Bombay Stock exchange (BSE) based on their ownership and checks the overlap of the CSR activities conducted by the companies with the ongoing social development schemes launched in India during the same of time. The time period between 2017 and 2020 is chosen to analyse the CSR studies. The study uses content analysis technique to derive conclusions. A textual analysis of top 100 listed firms across all ownership groups aimed at understanding patterns of CSR practices opted by the different groups and coherence of CSR patterns in the V&M statements. CSR related keywords were analysed in the V&M statements to understand what influence reporting of CSR practices in the strategic communication of firms.

Findings

Overall analysis indicated that top 100 firms prefer to invest in the areas of “Education”, “Sustainability” “Skill” where public-owned firms preferred towards “Sanitation” and “Environment/Sustainability” showing concurrence with local development goals. Private and foreign groups preferred to park their CSR funds in “Education” and “Skill” development showing coherence with the global agendas. Public-owned firms tend to report more CSR related specifically “Environment’ and “Sustainability” in the strategic documents. However, private and foreign firms do not pay any significance to CSR related keywords in their V&M statements.

Research limitations/implications

Findings suggest that despite of huge CSR investments, private and foreign-owned firms lack CSR focus and communication in their V&M statements, which may create disintegration in the CSR investment and strategic alignment of near-term and future goals. The paper suggests that private and foreign firms should also communicate their CSR practices through their V&M to stakeholders so that CSR practices may not remain mere 2% mandated expenditure by the Government of India.

Originality/value

The study contributes in confirming the success of the CSR policy mandate in supplementing government’s social development programmes along with indications on the role of family firms in accelerating the process of community development as compared to foreign firms. The study also favours integration of CSR disclosures in the V&M statements to gain long-term benefit out of these investments.

Geographic Cluster or Global Linkages? What Accelerates Emerging Market Firms Foreign Entry Speed

This study examines whether emerging market firms use global linkages as a substitute to the location in geographical clusters to promote the speed of foreign market entry. Drawing from economic geography, we find a slower speed of foreign market entry by firms located outside geographical clusters in the home country as compared to firms inside clusters. This relationship is further moderated by the firm’s cognitive proximity in the foreign markets (measured as a firm’s extent of informal global linkages). Cognitive proximity increases the transfer of tacit knowledge and weakens the negative impact of firm cluster absence on the speed of foreign entry. We test the proposed hypotheses using the cox proportional hazard model based on a longitudinal sample of 602 Indian firms in the information technology industry (IT) from 2000 to 2019.

The effect of accreditation on higher education performance through quality culture mediation: the perceptions of administrative and quality managers

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of accreditation on higher education performance, directly and indirectly, through the quality culture as a mediator in the context of higher education, based on the perceptions of administrative and quality managers.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a quantitative study using stratified random sampling techniques to collect data through a nationwide survey of universities in Pakistan. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 105 are found to be valid, while the data are analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results provide interesting insights, including significant effects of accreditation on quality culture and higher education performance, significant effects of quality culture on higher education performance and the mediating role of quality culture in relation to accreditation and higher education performance.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study include a relatively smaller sample size and the selection of administrative managers as the sole respondents. This study extends the theoretical understanding by introducing several linkages, including the link between accreditation and higher education performance, accreditation and quality culture, and by introducing quality culture as a mediator. Furthermore, the study also provides empirical evidence for all proposed links in the university setting. This study has implications for administrative and quality managers, in terms of effectively implementing accreditation standards by cultivating a quality culture at their respective universities, resulting in improved university performance.

Originality/value

This study is the first to introduce quality culture as a mediator between accreditation and higher education performance and examines the effect of accreditation and quality culture on higher education performance in the university context. Also, the interdisciplinary nature of the study makes it relevant and interesting to administrative and quality managers in the fields of higher education and quality management.

Sustainability supply chain practices: proposal for a framework

Purpose

This paper proposes a framework for the implementation of sustainability practices by individual companies and corresponding supply chains (SCs), considering the various SC tiers, the three dimensions of sustainability and the following critical areas: Governance, Product and Process, Customers and Suppliers Management, and Stakeholder focus.

Design/methodology/approach

Using several case studies of small- and medium-size companies, a qualitative methodology is used to develop the proposed framework.

Findings

The analysis of these case studies makes it possible to identify the sustainability practices that are the most important for practitioners, thereby reducing the number of sustainability practices specified in the literature and giving some insights regarding which should be used in addressing critical areas. A set of guidelines and actions is also suggested for managers to continue the path of sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

Further studies in other cultural and national realities and industrial contexts are desirable to assess the proposed framework's suitability and the results obtained.

Practical implications

The results of this study show that the practices implemented are highly dependent on the resources that the company can mobilize and, on the choices, and commitment to sustainability on the part of top management.

Originality/value

The authors propose a framework to help individual companies and corresponding SCs to implement sustainability practices considering the various dimensions of sustainability, critical areas and SC's various partners.

Corporate Purpose: A Social Judgement Perspective

We apply the lens of social judgement theory to understand the causes and consequences of the growing debate about the purpose of the corporation. Our historical analysis suggests that the debate about corporate purpose is not new and that it tends to arise during periods of growing economic inequality. Our analysis also suggests that the discursive shift from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism will trigger a new standard of social evaluation of corporations in which we no longer judge corporate behavior based on standards of legitimacy but rather on standards of authenticity. We explore what this change in social evaluation will mean for corporate competition.

International alliance structure and effectiveness: evidence from law firms

International alliances are important strategic vehicles to build geographic scope and enter foreign markets, especially for firms lacking the resources or facing limitations to direct foreign expansion. Addressing recent calls to study alliance structure, we investigate the design parameters of nonequity international alliances and their performance implications. Building on the resource-based view of the firm, we theorize the effect of three key structural dimensions – formalization, interface, and specialization – on firm effectiveness. Our empirical work focusses on the legal service industry where international interfirm alliances are common, and resources like expert workers and knowledge are essential. We study 121 French, German, Italian, and Spanish law firms; and our data include the structural features of the alliances to which they belong, as well as various measures of firm effectiveness. Our analyses via structural equation modelling point toward the importance of informality and strong interface for effectiveness in these contexts. This study contributes to a finer understanding of international alliances by directly addressing the structural variation among nonequity international alliances, and analyzes their implications for firms. We thus respond to calls to investigate structural dimensions of alliances, operationalizing relevant dimensions of alliance organizational structure. Second, we add to understanding of the performance effects of international alliances, showing the benefits of individual structural parameters for firm effectiveness. Finally, we extend research on the use of international alliances as a strategic vehicle to enter foreign markets, capturing essential aspects of the internal arrangements of these interorganizational collaborative relationships, and thus adding to understanding of this strategic entry mode.

The role of digital knowledge servitization in supply chain management

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to overcoming the gap existing in the supply chain literature related to digital servitization by bridging digital servitization with knowledge management and identifying the rise of digital knowledge servitization as a driver for changes in the supply chain business model towards open innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study follows an inductive grounded theory approach for theory building. To analyse the impact of digital knowledge servitization, in-depth interviews of managers in the main business units of the Volvo Group supply chain ecosystem were carried out.

Findings

The results show how the digital servitization process affects the supply chain business model, highlighting the central role of knowledge in the service ecosystem and the rise of the theoretical concept of digital knowledge servitization. In particular, through the Innovation Lab (Volvo Group) study, the paper contributes to bringing together the theoretical knowledge-based view of servitization with the digital servitization concept, which demonstrates the role of this combined perspective in the transformation of the supply chain; this is carried out by introducing a new business model based on open innovation in inbound and outbound processes.

Practical implications

The research offers interesting insights from a managerial perspective, as increasingly advanced and complex digital solutions require shorter times in supply chain management (SCM). Companies need to be able to quickly manage information and knowledge flows deriving from internal and external interactions and involvement with external actors upstream and downstream of the supply chain ecosystem. Therefore, the digital knowledge servitization of the supply chain also highlights implications for managers in terms of human resources management.

Originality/value

The novel research goal is to contribute to the supply chain literature by integrating the digital servitization with the knowledge view and analysing the impact on the inbound and outbound supply chain through the introduction of an open innovation business model.