Normalising the "new normal": Changing tech-driven work practices under pandemic time pressure

A bibliometric analysis of remote working practices: Call for future research

BACKGROUND

According to Gallup survey report, 69% of U.S. workers moved to working remotely in April 2020. Due to COVID-19, work is changing rapidly, including where individuals work.

OBJECTIVE

Research in this field has drawn much attention, and in the last ten years, there is a constant augment in the number of publications on the same. Several works of literature on Remote Working (RW) culture have been reported. Nevertheless, only less research is present on bibliometric reviews of RW culture. Therefore, Bibliometric research is wielded in this work and a comprehensive review of relevant publications was taken from Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), together with the Social Science Citation Index Expanded.

METHODOLOGY

At first, meticulous bibliometric analyses of 430 published articles are done and descriptive information about a piece of work, namely (a) author, (b) title, (c) date of publication, et cetera, is provided.

RESULTS

Mapping the scope along with the structure of the discipline is enabled by these analyzes, which discovers the instituted collaboration patterns amongst countries and organizations, and identifies authoritative papers together with authors. Therefore, the publication's evolution over time is illustrated by these analyses, and the current research interests and potential directions for future study are identified.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper incorporates insights on remote working culture and enables mapping the scope and structure of the discipline, discovering the established collaboration patterns among countries and organizations. Thus, these analyses illustrate the publication's evolution over time and identified the current research interests and potential directions for the research.

Association between lone work and self-rated health status: using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey

Background

Lone workers are generally defined as individuals who work alone without supervision, including self-employed people. While lone workers are considered a vulnerable group in some countries, there is a lack of research on their health status in domestic studies. Globally, the number of lone workers has been increasing, and this trend has been further accelerated since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with the rise of remote work.

Methods

The study analyzed data from 44,281 participants, excluding unpaid family workers, soldiers, and those with missing data. Lone workers were defined as individuals who reported having no colleagues with the same job at their current workplace. Self-rated health status was categorized as "good" or "poor."

Results

This study found a statistically significant higher number of lone workers among women compare to men. The largest occupational category for lone workers was service and sales workers, followed by agriculture and fisheries workers. A majority of non-lone workers reported working 40 hours or less per week, while the majority of lone workers reported working 53 hours or more per week. In addition, lone workers had significantly poorer health status evaluations compared to non-lone workers (odds ratio: 1.297; 95% confidence interval: 1.165-1.444).

Conclusions

Further research is needed to investigate the causal relationship between lone work and health, using data collected after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the effects of sudden institutional coercive pressure on digital transformation in colleges from teachers' perspective

While past technology acceptance studies focus on organization readiness, little is known about the acceptance behavior under sudden institutional coercive pressure. Against COVID-19 and distance teaching, this study explores the relationship between digital transformation readiness, adoption intention, digital transformation success, and sudden institutional coercive pressure based on the readiness research model and institutional theory. Surveying 233 college teachers who participated in distance teaching under COVID-19 in Taiwan for model and hypothesis validation using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. This result shows that (1) Teacher, social/public, and content readiness are crucial to distance teaching. Individuals, organizational resources, and external stakeholders influence distance teaching success and adoption; and (2) Sudden institutional coercive pressure has a negative moderated effect on teachers' readiness and adoption intention. When teachers are unprepared to implement distance teaching, this unanticipated epidemic and sudden institutional coercive pressure will accelerate and enhance their intention. The study provides government, educational policymakers, and teachers with a better understanding of distance teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Sociomateriality in Action

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an enforced ‘big bang’ adoption of working from home, involving the rapid implementation and diffusion of digital collaboration technologies. This radical shift to enforced working from home led to substantial changes in the practice of work. Using a qualitative research approach and drawing on the interview accounts of 29 knowledge workers required to work from home during the pandemic, the study identified five sociomaterial practices that were significantly disrupted and required reconfiguration of their constitutive social and material elements to renew them. The paper further shows evidence of the ongoing evolution of those sociomaterial practices among the participants, as temporary breakdowns in their performance led to further adjustments and fine-tuning. The study extends the body of knowledge on working from home and provides a fine-grained analysis of specific complexities of sociomaterial practice and change as actors utilize conceptual and contextual sensemaking to perceive and exploit possibilities for action in their unfolding practice of work. Against the backdrop of the increasing adoption of hybrid working in the aftermath of the pandemic, the paper offers four pillars derived from the findings that support the establishment of a conducive working from home environment.

Social Support as Technostress Inhibitor

Due to ongoing digitalization and the social distancing measures that came along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the working conditions and environments have changed for many individuals. Because of increased telework, the use of digital technologies for communicating and collaborating at work has been intensified, which can cause technostress. With longitudinal data from two surveys – one before and one during the COVID-19 pandemic – the paper analyzes the relationship between four social support dimensions (supervisor support, co-worker support, sense of community at work, and family support) and technostress creators. The study shows that social support can be an effective inhibitor of technostress creators. However, social support dimensions have to be differentiated in that regard. Further, the results show that the inhibiting effect of family support has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results contribute to technostress research and research with regard to the new normal of working after the pandemic.

Chaos of COVID-19 Superspreading Events: An Analysis Via a Data-driven Approach

Superspreading has become a key mechanism of COVID-19 transmission which creates chaos. The classical approach of compartmental models may not sufficiently reflect the epidemiological situation amid superspreading events (SSEs). We perform a data-driven approach and recognise the deterministic chaos of confirmed cases. The first derivative ( ≈difference of total confirmed cases) and the second derivative ( ≈difference of the first derivative) are used upon SSEs to showcase the chaos. Varying solution trajectories, sensitivity and numerical unpredictability are the chaotic characteristics discussed here.

The moderating role of information technology governance in the relationship between board characteristics and continuity management during the Covid-19 pandemic in an emerging economy

The main aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between governance characteristics, information technology governance, and continuity management during Covid-19 in an emerging economy. The study also examines the moderating role of information technology governance in the relationship between governance characteristics and business continuity management. The quantitative approach is used by utilising a survey questionnaire. A sample of 232 questionnaire surveys has been collected from the board of directors, top and middle management executives, external auditors, information technology experts, and some other respondents. The results were estimated using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that information technology governance has a statistically significant effect on business continuity. Board size, board independence, audit committee independence, audit committee diligence, and external audit have a statistically significant positive effect on information technology governance. Further, the results indicate that information technology governance significantly moderates the effect of board size, board independence, board diligence, audit committee independence, audit committee diligence, and external audit on business continuity. However, information technology governance does not moderate the relationship between board committees and business continuity, which indicates less board involvement in information technology governance. The current research provides insight into the role of information technology governance in business continuity management during crises. The present study provides a unique contribution as it investigates the relationship between corporate governance characteristics, information technology governance, and business continuity management during Covid-19, providing empirical evidence from an emerging country.

Leadership's long arm: The positive influence of digital leadership on managing technology-driven change over a strengthened service innovation capacity

Introduction

In this qualitative study, we examine digital leadership (DL) capabilities and their positive influence on the management of technology-driven change by leveraging service innovations. The context of digital transformation (DT) has triggered a new leadership paradigm, among others referred to as digital leadership (DL). However, despite its practical relevance, leadership research has yet paid little attention to conceptualise DL as an approach to digitally transform organisations.

Methods

Drawing on mid- and top-level mangers' experiences with service innovation projects, and based on Grounded Theory, we develop a taxonomy of DL-related capabilities and a conceptual framework which exemplifies their influences on dynamic service innovation capabilities (DSICs). DSICs build on the dynamic capabilities view (DCV) and represent the "organisational muscle" to repeatedly deliver service innovations indicating an effective management of technology-driven change.

Results and Discussion

Taxonomy results show that aggregated dimensions in terms of a digital leader's personal, social, and organisational capital serve as underpinnings (DL-related capabilities) to drive strategic change in DT contexts. The conceptual framework further reveals that especially the personal and organisational capital of a digital leader owns several strong and moderate influences on DSICs which demonstrates DL's "long arm" on the management of technology-driven change. Our findings contribute to leadership research by advancing the conceptualisation of DL and by adding a novel micro-foundational perspective towards the DCV discourse. As organisations struggle to realise the full benefits of DT initiatives, our results also provide a valuable contribution for practitioners by supporting them to strategically prepare for the human-related challenges of DT.

Towards an Understanding of Successes of the Psychiatric Nurses in Caring for Children with Mental Health Problems: An Appreciative Inquiry

INTRODUCTION

Psychiatric nurses have a specialized body of knowledge and skills in providing care to persons with mental health challenges. The literature provides scanty evidence on child psychiatric nursing practices. This paper explored the successes of psychiatric nurses in caring for children with mental health problems using appreciative inquiry (AI).

DESIGN

A qualitative exploratory and descriptive design was used to allow for new ideas that can fundamentally reshape the practice of child psychiatric nursing. Purposive sampling was used to select psychiatric nurses caring for children with mental health problems. Focus groups were used to generate data.

FINDINGS

The results indicate both positive and negative prospects for psychiatric nursing practice. The positive possibilities included commitment, passion and dedication of staff to the children. The negative aspects that need urgent attention include lack of specific, integrated child mental health within the mental health care services, shortage of resources and not-fit-for purpose infrastructure.

CONCLUSION

Appreciative inquiry verified the commitment of psychiatric nurses in caring for children with mental health problems and the potential for dedicated child psychiatric institutions in realizing the needs of such children. The needs of children with mental health problems must be addressed through positive care in the health system.

Understanding barriers and motivations in solid waste management from Malaysian industries: a comparative analysis

The objective of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in the barriers and motivations between the plastic and resins and food and beverages industries as these two industries are the major contributors of solid waste in Malaysia. Prior studies are lacking with regard to explaining the barriers and motivations in solid waste management from the Malaysian context. This study is focused on 10 firms from the plastics and resins industry and 9 from the food and beverages industry in Malaysia. Through Rasch measurement theory, the results indicate that the barriers of lack of skills and qualifications and lack of closed-loop control and the motivations of cost savings and a business model are performed differently. The findings further confirm that the lack of skills and qualifications is a more difficult barrier to overcome than the lack of closed-loop control, while the motivation factor of a business model is more difficult to achieve than cost savings. In terms of practical contribution, this study provides results that can help policy makers in Malaysia to close the gaps present regarding the adoption of solid waste management practices and to devise appropriate incentives. The study also supports managers of companies in regard to working on the most pressing hindering and promoting factors in the field of solid waste management.

Varieties of 'new normal': Employment experiences among youth with and without disabilities during the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Working and volunteering in the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has looked different depending on the location, employment sector and nature of the job. Although researchers have begun exploring the impacts on adults, little is known about what the transition to a 'new normal' in the reopening stages has been like for youth, especially those with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

To explore and compare the experiences and perspectives of youth with and without disabilities who were working, volunteering or seeking work during the re-opening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

METHODS

We used a qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews with 16 youth (seven with a disability, nine without), aged 15-29 (mean 22 years). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Five main themes were identified: (1) Mixed views on being onsite in the reopening stages; (2) Mixed views on remaining remote; (3) Hybrid model as the best of both worlds; (4) Mixed views on COVID-19 workplace safety in the reopening stages; and (5) Hopes, dreams and advice for the future. Apart from the first main theme, there were more similarities than differences between youth with and without disabilities.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights that youth encountered various work and volunteer arrangements during the reopening stages of the pandemic, and the personal preferences for particular models depend largely on their employment sector. The areas of agreement among youth highlight some longer-term impacts of the pandemic shutdowns and point to the need for greater mental health and career supports.

The relationship between internet use preference and loneliness among college students during COVID-19: The chain mediating effect of online social support and self-esteem

The outbreak of COVID-19, especially the demands of social interaction and spatial distancing behavior, has led to a surge in Internet use, which has also led to an increase in loneliness. Therefore, we investigated the role of online social support and self-esteem in the relationship between Internet use preference and loneliness. In this study, 1053 college students were surveyed with a questionnaire based on the framework of Ecological System Theory, and a chain mediation model was established to clarify the mechanism between Internet use preference and loneliness. The results show that Internet use preference not only positively predicts loneliness, but also indirectly influences loneliness through the mediators of online social support and self-esteem, thereby impacting loneliness through the "online social support → self-esteem" chain. The results also indicate the need to pay attention to college students' mental health status during COVID-19. The advent of COVID-19 has impacted people's lifestyles and has changed the impact of the Internet on individual mental health. This study provides a new way to further understand college students' Internet use preferences, online social support, self-esteem, and loneliness status during COVID-19. It provides targeted interventions for college students' loneliness during COVID-19.

Enforced remote working: The impact of digital platform-induced stress and remote working experience on technology exhaustion and subjective wellbeing

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most individuals to work from home. Simultaneously, there has been an uptake of digital platform use for personal purposes. The excessive use of technology for both work and personal activities may cause technostress. Despite the growing interest in technostress, there is a paucity of research on the effects of work and personal technology use in tandem, particularly during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a sample of 306 employees, this paper addresses this research gap. The findings highlight how both work and personal digital platforms induce technostress during the enforced remote work period, which in turn increases psychological strains such as technology exhaustion and decreases subjective wellbeing. Study results also show that employees with previous remote working experience could better negotiate technostress, whereas those with high resilience experience decreased wellbeing in the presence of technostress-induced technology exhaustion in the enforced remote work context.

Work, life and COVID‐19: a rapid review and practical recommendations for the post‐pandemic workplace

Remote working because of the COVID‐19 pandemic has eroded boundaries between work and home, necessitating the need to evaluate the long‐term impacts of these changes and mitigate any negative effects on workers' work‐life experiences. To do so, we reviewed and examined work‐life research published since the start of the pandemic. The review yielded a sample of 303 work‐life scholarly articles, with three common themes: 1) work‐life boundaries have become more permeable, with behavior‐based and time‐based work‐life conflict emerging as the more salient forms of work‐life conflict; 2) technical work demands have increased, as employees grapple with techno‐invasion, techno‐overload and techno‐complexity; and 3) psychological and emotional work demands have intensified. Based on these key findings, we call for multi‐level and multi‐agency responses to deal with the complex, diverse nature of work‐life demands. Specifically, we offer recommendations at the individual‐, team/organizational‐ and societal/governmental‐levels to enhance employees' work and non‐work lives after the pandemic.

The role of service quality in fostering different types of perceived value for student blended learning satisfaction

The present study aims to conceptualize service quality and perceived value in the context of blended learning by redefining and modifying the existing SERVQUAL model, reviewing prior marketing literature on perceived value, and examining the relationships between service quality, perceived value, and student satisfaction. The sample was restricted to colleges in South Korea, where blended learning programs have started to receive much attention. We examined our hypotheses by using regression analysis via the statistical programs Amos 22.0 and SPSS 23.0. The following results are produced. First, the conceptualization of service quality and perceived value was confirmed. Second, the different effects of online and offline service quality on each perceived value are confirmed. Offline service quality is more effective in generating perceived epistemic value, perceived social value, and perceived emotional value than online service quality, whereas online service quality is more effective in triggering perceived conditional value than offline service quality. Finally, perceived emotional value and perceived conditional value are the important determinants of student satisfaction. We address the theoretical implications that (1) service quality and perceived value are conceptualized through modification, refinement, and empirical testing and develop a multidimensional scale for service quality and perceived value, and (2) the sequential and causal relationships among service quality, perceived value, and student satisfaction are confirmed. Practically, we expect that our measurement scales for service quality and perceived value, which have high validity and reliability, can serve as diagnostic tools for blended learning program evaluation from students' perspective.

Consumer information technology use in the post-pandemic workplace: a post-acceptance adaptation perspective

Purpose

Personally owned mobile information and communication technologies (MICT) have been widely and routinely used for work purposes in the post-pandemic workplace. Drawing on adaptive structuration theory for individuals (ASTI), this study investigates the antecedents (i.e. characteristics of MICT) and outcomes (i.e. employee affective and cognitive well-being) of routine MICT use in the remote work context.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was empirically tested via a survey of 430 working professionals who use personal MICT for work purposes in the remote work context.

Findings

Results show that the routine MICT use increases employee affective well-being (i.e. job satisfaction) and mitigates cognitive well-being (i.e. technology overload). The mediation effects of routine MICT use on the relationships between its characteristics (autonomy and timeliness) and employee well-being (i.e. job satisfaction and technology overload) were also found.

Originality/value

Existing research on remote work has widely focused on employee productivity and performance, while attention has rarely been paid to the effects of the technology-driven “new normal” on employee well-being. Grounded in ASTI, this study identifies three MICT characteristics as sources of user adaptive structuration, which impact employees' routine MICT use behavior and further influence employee affective and cognitive well-being. This research can help understand employees' personal MICT use adaptive behavior and improve their well-being.

Evaluation of Medical Carrying Capacity for Megacities from a Traffic Analysis Zone View: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China

Sustainable Development Goals propose to build inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements, which requires us to scientifically evaluate the carrying capacity of current urban public service facilities, but there is still a lack of in-depth exploration of urban public medical service facilities. Therefore, this paper, within the mobile phone signaling data, improved the potential model and carrying capacity evaluation model of public medical facilities, explored the spatial pattern distribution of public medical resources in Shenzhen, and analyzed the current situation of carrying capacity of public medical resources. The study showed that: (1) the overall spatial distribution of public medical resources in Shenzhen is uneven, showing a pattern of multicenter aggregation and multilevel development; (2) the service potential of public medical facilities has obvious spatial variations, with Futian District, Dapeng New District, and Nanshan District showing more obvious high-gravitational-value aggregation centers; (3) medical facilities in Shenzhen are never empty, but the problems of medical underloading and overloading are severe, and spatial allocation and utilization efficiency need to be further optimized. The research results can provide a scientific basis for the research on the allocation and sustainable construction of medical resources in megacities.

Maintaining the Ideals of Co-production During Rapid Digitalisation: A Comparative Case Study of Digital Restorative Services in Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Portugal

With the exceptional COVID-19 circumstances in early 2020, public service co-production went through a push towards digitalisation. Using normalisation process theory as the basis for analysis, the article looks at the immediate effects of digitalisation on restorative practices, which is a co-produced approach to delivering justice. A comparative case study conducted in Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Portugal showed that digitalisation meant a more directive role for the mediators and more responsibility for the citizens in organising the service context. The process became more business-like, which put some integral aspects of restorative justice at risk, such as trust building and feeling connected. The launch of digital restorative services depended more on service providers' readiness to try digital solutions and less on service experience before digitalisation.

Antecedents of Perceived Service Quality of Online Education During a Pandemic: Configuration Analysis Based on Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

BACKGROUND

During COVID-19 lockdown worldwide, classroom education continues remotely through online. The question remains, comparing with the face-to-face education, does online education has a similar satisfaction level among the students? There are only a few studies that examine the perceived service quality of online education.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to analyze the factors of perceived service quality of online education during a pandemic.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A structured questionnaire elicits information from 147 students from different study backgrounds of various universities worldwide. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used for data analysis and model design. Research constructs evaluation for reliability and internal consistency are subsequently performed. A snowball random sampling method is applied for data collection.

RESULTS

Findings from the fsQCA analysis identify four core factors that underpin student satisfaction through positive perceived service quality of online education. Alternative paths are determined based on gender, students' current education status, and their loyalty toward online education. We also introduce two topologies of perceived quality regarding online education and student satisfaction.

ORIGINALITY

Because of the primary nature of the data, this is firsthand experience gathered from different universities around the world who have willingly or unwillingly experienced online learning during the pandemic. The fsQCA technique for examining perceived service quality of online education.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings contain a number of contributions, illustrating different topologies of the student from different backgrounds and their intention, satisfaction and loyalty towards e-learning, and identifying causal factors that influence willingness to recommend online education.

Telework as a Game-Changer for Sustainability? Transitions in Work, Workplace and Socio-Spatial Arrangements

The COVID-19 pandemic makes home-based telework commonplace and promotes a discussion about addressing mobility problems. Many studies focus on the relationship between the urban form at the place of residence and mode of transport or travel distance. Less attention has been paid to the spatial location of the workplace and its implications for mobility. In this article, we investigate these shifting patterns of work (places) from a socio-spatial mobility perspective. Companies in suburban areas are often characterised by limited access to public transport, cause accordingly high commuting volumes of car traffic and have a strong impact on mobility systems throughout whole regions. Anchored in a case study in Burgwedel, in the suburban area of Hannover, Germany, we analyse the impact and the potential of telework concerning workplaces and sustainable mobility. The data analysis is based on qualitative interviews with local employers (n = 10) and a survey of employees in Burgwedel (n = 367) during October–December 2021. We identify three groups of employees according to their abilities to implement telework defined by the nature of their job and their company’s culture. We show that teleworking can be a game-changer for sustainable mobility in cooperation with local companies.

Productivity analysis in work from home modality: An exploratory study considering an emerging country scenario in the COVID-19 context

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the work environment worldwide and forced companies to adopt work from home (WFH) suddenly. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify factors that influence productivity in the WFH modality, considering the Brazilian scenario in the COVID-19 context. METHODS: The approach used was a Delphi method with 19 specialists in the subject. Three rounds were conducted; in the third round, specialists indicated how the factor influences productivity through a scale. For the data collected in this last round, data was analysed via Grey Relational Analysis technique. RESULTS: The results indicated that 17 factors could influence productivity in the WFH modality in the analysed context. Comparatively, the five factors with more capacity to influence productivity are 1) Availability of adequate equipment and peripherals to develop the work activities; 2) leadership support; 3) The adequate place to develop work activities; 4) Internet and electricity supply stability; and 5) Clarity from the collaborator regarding their role in the company, responsibilities and activities to be developed. The frequency analysis indicated that factors affect at least moderately productivity in WFH modality. CONCLUSIONS: This article contributes to increasing knowledge associated with the WFH modality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The information present here can be used by academics and managers, even in a post-pandemic scenario, to debate productivity in remote work modalities.

New Working Capabilities for Coping With COVID Time Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic played as a booster to the cultural, social, and economic transformations triggered by the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, increasing the diffusion and employment of technological devices and requiring to reconsider the traditional approach to work and organization. Dealing with an emblematic organizational case, the article highlights the main key capabilities requested to face the current scenario, suggesting transformed attitudes needed to cope with the unfolding complex, uncertain, changing digital and blended world. The findings, gathered through an extensive survey involving 500 people who started working at a distance during the 2020 lockdown period, underline the main actionable skills to be achieved for enhancing agile work, hybrid professional roles and new work, and organizational and managerial cultures.

Digital transformation during a pandemic: Stretching the organizational elasticity

How can firms turn their COVID-19 pandemic-driven digitalization efforts into sustainable digital transformation? Firms accelerated their digitalization efforts during the global pandemic to an emergency speed. This speed of implementation of digital technologies left organizations with little time to adapt their structures, processes, and culture to the new environment. We argue that firms currently remain in a stretched operations mode that will either bounce back to normal after the pandemic or ultimately lead to organizational failure. Seven in-depth case studies based on 11 interviews of top management support our argument and show that, during this crisis, firms have been operating in a state of exception. We take an organizational elasticity perspective to investigate this status and develop an agenda for firms to facilitate sustainable digital transformation. Our study provides important insights into organizational elasticity as a framework to manage the long-term organizational impact of the current pandemic.

Tourism sustainability during COVID-19: developing value chain resilience

The aim of this study is to evaluate the perceptions of prospective tourists through parameters by which the tourism and hospitality service sector can withstand the widespread implications to the sector as a result of the current pandemic. In turn this will lead to weighing up the means for recovery. The identified parameters are then classified, categorized and linked up with supply chain drivers to obtain a holistic picture that can feed into strategic planning from which the tourism and hospitality service sector could utilize to establish a resilient supply chain. This data can provide deep insight for both theorists and practitioners to utilize. It was found that reforming six supply chain drivers, whilst at the same time developing core competencies, is the central essence of a resilient supply chain within the tourism and hospitality business sector (who are at present working hard to counterbalance the many threats and consequent risks posed due to the pandemic).

Difficulties experienced by managers in the coordination of teams working from home: an exploratory study considering the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

This research aims to analyse difficulties experienced by Brazilian managers in coordinating teams working from home during the coronavirus disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological strategy used was a survey with 39 managers who led teams working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven difficulties indicated by current literature were analysed using a fuzzy scale. First, a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) approach was used to group managers according to managers' similarities and capacity to infer the difficulties. Responses of each group identified were weighted considering the capacity to assess the theme. In the sequence, data were analysed via frequencies and the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) approach and difficulties were ordered.

Findings

Comparatively, the main difficulties evidenced are (1) to reconcile personal and professional life tasks in the same place; (2) to motivate collaborators in a period when social isolation affect employee's mental health and (3) to keep team members integrated and working within the activities scope in a virtual environment.

Originality/value

The findings present in this paper contribute to theory and practice. For theory, this article contributes to the knowledge on WFH and leadership, evidencing in a comparatively way the difficulties that are experienced by managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in future studies can better analyse these difficulties. For practice, managers who conduct managers' teams remotely can use the information to analyse teams' practices and improve performance critically. This was an atypical moment of humanity, and different aspects need to be considered by managers compared with previous periods.

Remote Work Efficiency from the Employers’ Perspective—What’s Next?

Remote work has been of interest to managers since the implementation of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). During the initial period, it was treated as an employee’s privilege or even a luxury and as such it was not a popular practice. The COVID-19 pandemic and the intervening period have changed attitudes toward remote work, as it became a necessity for many organisations. However, in connection with its use, many new, previously unknown problems have arisen, such as: the organisation of remote work, the supervision and monitoring of work performance, and employee support. The present research was conducted using a standardised questionnaire computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) method in May–June 2021 on a population of 248 enterprises, divided into micro, small, medium-sized and large entities. The research data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic which, on the one hand, provided an exceptional opportunity to fill in the theoretical gaps that were existing in this field; however, on the other hand, it could be burdened with certain flaws due to the context of the pandemic. An enterprise’s attitude to remote work has a positive influence on the efficiency of the remote work, the control of the remote work and the remote work support, with the strongest impact exerted on the last of the factors mentioned. A better attitude to remote work influences, to the largest degree, an enterprise’s support for performing work from remote locations outside of corporate offices. Among the enterprises that were surveyed, the following were most frequently indicated as elements of such support: additional office equipment provided to an employee, remote work training, and the installation of additional computer programs. Financial support was declared by about 11% of the enterprises and it usually took the form of a remote work allowance or funds to cover the costs of purchasing equipment or paying for the Internet.

Impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on private domestic groundwater sample numbers, E. coli presence and E. coli concentration across Ontario, January 2020-March 2021: An interrupted time-series analysis

Approximately 1.5 million individuals in Ontario are supplied by private water wells (private groundwater supplies). Unlike municipal supplies, private well water quality remains unregulated, with owners responsible for testing, treating, and maintaining their own water supplies. The COVID-19 global pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have impacted many environmental (e.g., surface water and air quality) and human (e.g., healthcare, transportation) systems over the past 15-months (January 2020 to March 2021). To date, the impact of these interventions on private groundwater systems remains largely unknown. Accordingly, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of a province-wide COVID-19 lockdown (late-March 2020) on health behaviours (i.e., private domestic groundwater sampling) and groundwater quality (via Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection and concentration) in private well water in Ontario, using time-series analyses (seasonal decomposition, interrupted time-series) of a large-spatio-temporal dataset (January 2016 to March 2021; N = 743,200 samples). Findings indicate that lockdown concurred with an immediate (p = 0.015) and sustained (p < 0.001) decrease in sampling rates, equating to approximately 2200 fewer samples received per week post-interruption. Likewise, a slightly decreased E. coli detection rate was observed approximately one month after lockdowns began (p = 0.003), while the proportion of "highly contaminated" samples (i.e., E. coli > 10 CFU/100 mL) was shown to increase within one month (p = 0.02), followed by a sustained decrease for the remainder of the year (May 2020-December 2020). Analyses strongly suggest that COVID-19 interventions resulted in discernible impacts on both well user behaviours and hydrogeological mechanisms. Findings may be used as an evidence-base for assisting policy makers, public health practitioners and private well owners in developing recommendations and mitigation strategies to manage public health risks during extreme and/or unprecedented future events.

Sustainable and Security Focused Multimodal Models for Distance Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced much education to move into a distance learning (DL) model. The problem addressed in the paper is related to the increased necessity for the capacity of data, secure infrastructure, Wi-Fi possibilities, and equipment, learning resources which are needed when students connect to systems managed by institutional, national, and international organizations. Meanwhile, there have been cases when learners were not able to use technology in a secure manner, since they were requested to connect to external learning objects or systems. The research aims to develop a sustainable strategy based on a security concept model that consists of three main components: (1) security assurance; (2) users, including administration, teachers, and learners; and (3) DL organizational processes. The security concept model can be implemented at different levels of security. We modelled all the possible levels of security. To implement the security concept model, we introduce a framework that consists of the following activities: plan, implement, review, and improve. These activities were performed in a never-ending loop. We provided the technical measures required to implement the appropriate security level of DL infrastructure. The technical measures were provided at the level of a system administrator. We enriched the framework by joining technical measures into appropriate activities within the framework. The models were validated by 10 experts from different higher education institutions. The feasibility of the data collection instrument was determined by a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient that was above 0.9.

Using Business Analytics for SME Business Model Transformation under Pandemic Time Pressure

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on many industry sectors, forcing many companies and particularly Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to fundamentally change their business models under extreme time pressure. While there are claims that technologies such as analytics can help such rapid transitions, little empirical research exists that shows if or how Business Analytics (BA) supports the adaptation or innovation of SMEs' business models, let alone within the context of extreme time pressure and turbulence. This study addresses this gap through an exemplar case, where the SME actively used location-based business analytics for rapid business model adaptation and innovation during the Covid-19 crisis. The paper contributes to existing theory by providing a set of propositions, an agenda for future research and a guide for SMEs to assess and implement their own use of analytics for business model transformation.

Interventions for adapting health care providers to new situations in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review for developing a policy brief

The rapid change in the conditions of health care centers following the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to work challenges and role changes and the transfer of staff to new and unfamiliar workplaces. This study aimed to develop policy interventions to adapt health care providers to the new situation in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic literature review was carried out using international databases to identify English-language studies to identify policy interventions. The viewpoints resulting from the observations of the research team and seven health system experts were used to categorize the interventions. Three main policy interventions were identified: creating a flexible and efficient system through modifying personnel roles, adequate training of health care personnel about work conditions when treating COVID-19 patients, and creating a supportive and motivating work environment.

Using video consultation technology between care homes and health and social care professionals: a scoping review and interview study during COVID-19 pandemic

Background

the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected care home residents’ and staffs’ access to health care and advice. Health and social care professionals adapted rapidly to using video consultation (videoconferencing) technology without guidance. We sought to identify enablers and barriers to their use in supporting care home residents and staff.

Methods

a scoping review of the evidence on remote consultations between healthcare services and care homes. Interviews with English health and social care professionals about their experiences during the pandemic. Findings were synthesised using the non-adoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, sustainability framework.

Results

18 papers were included in the review. Twelve interviews were completed. Documented enablers and barriers affecting the uptake and use of technology (e.g. reliable internet; reduced travelling) resonated with participants. Interviews demonstrated rapid, widespread technology adoption overcame barriers anticipated from the literature, often strengthening working relationships with care homes. Novel implementation issues included using multiple platforms and how resident data were managed. Healthcare professionals had access to more bespoke digital platforms than their social care counterparts. Participants alternated between platforms depending on individual context or what their organisation supported. All participants supported ongoing use of technologies to supplement in-person consultations.

Conclusions

the evidence on what needs to be in place for video consultations to work with care homes was partly confirmed. The pandemic context demolished many documented barriers to engagement and provided reassurance that residents’ assessments were possible. It exposed the need to study further differing resident requirements and investment in digital infrastructure for adequate information management between organisations.

The Role of Mindfulness in Mitigating the Negative Consequences of Technostress

IT offers significant benefits both to individuals and organisations, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic where technology played a primary role in aiding remote working environments; however, IT use comes with consequences such as 'technostress' - stress arising from extended use of technology. Addressing the paucity of research related to this topic, in this study, we examine the role of mindfulness and IT mindfulness to both mitigate the impact of technostress and alleviate its negative consequences; revealing that mindfulness can reduce technostress and increase job satisfaction, while IT mindfulness can enhance user satisfaction and improve task performance. Moreover, our work sheds light on the under-researched relationship between mindfulness and IT mindfulness; showing that the latter has a stronger influence on IT related outcomes; revealing the valuable role of mindfulness and IT mindfulness in the workplace and offering important implications to theory and practice.

Patient, clinician and manager experience of the accelerated implementation of virtual consultations following COVID-19: A qualitative study of preferences in a tertiary orthopaedic rehabilitation setting

AIM

To investigate the experiences of patients, clinicians and managers during the accelerated implementation of virtual consultations (VCs) due to COVID-19. To understand how patient preferences are constructed and organized.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews with patients, clinicians and managerial staff at a single specialist orthopaedic centre in the United Kingdom. The interview schedule and coding frame were based on Normalisation Process Theory. Interviews were conducted over the telephone or by video call. Abductive analysis of interview transcripts extended knowledge from previous research to identify, characterize and explain how patient preferences for VC were formed and arranged.

RESULTS

Fifty-five participants were included (20 patients, 20 clinicians, 15 managers). Key mechanisms that contribute to the formation of patient preferences were identified. These were: (a) context for the consultation (normative expectations, relational expectations, congruence and potential); (b) the available alternatives and the implementation process (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring). Patient preferences are mediated by the clinician and organisational preferences through the influence of the consultation context, available alternatives and the implementation process.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports the cumulative analysis of five empirical studies investigating patient preferences for VC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic as VC transitioned from an experimental clinic to a compulsory form of service delivery. This study has identified mechanisms that explain how preferences for VC come about and how these relate to organisational and clinician preferences. Since clinical pathways are shaped by interactions between patient, clinicians and organisational preferences, future service design must strike a balance between patient preferences and the preferences of clinicians and organisations.

PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The CONNECT Project Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group provided guidance on the conduct and design of the research. This took place with remote meetings between the lead researcher and the chair of the PPI group during March and April 2020. Patient information documentation and the interview schedule were developed with the PPI group to ensure that these were accessible.

Problematic use of the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic: Good practices and mental health recommendations

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accelerated spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came jurisdictional limitations on mobility of citizens and distinct alterations in their daily routines. Confined to their homes, many people increased their overall internet use, with problematic use of the internet (PUI) becoming a potential reason for increased mental health concerns. Our narrative review summarizes information on the extent of PUI during the pandemic, by focusing on three types: online gaming, gambling and pornography viewing. We conclude by providing guidance for mental health professionals and those affected by PUI (with an outline of immediate research priorities and best therapeutic approaches), as well as for the general public (with an overview of safe and preventative practices).

Acceptance of and satisfaction with online educational classes through the technology acceptance model (TAM): the COVID-19 situation in Korea

This study examines the current state of acceptance of online classes using the technology acceptance model. The background of the study is the turning point in Korean education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and speculation about changes in the post-COVID educational environment. To measure the acceptance rate of online classes, a survey was conducted on a total of 313 university students taking online classes. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results of the study are as follows: First, the perceived ease of use of online classes showed a positive effect on perceived usefulness. Second, both the perceived ease of use and usefulness of online classes showed a positive effect on educational satisfaction. Third, both the perceived usefulness and satisfaction showed a positive effect on the acceptance intention of online education. However, the perceived ease of use did not have a positive effect on acceptance intention. These results suggest that satisfaction with online education can be further improved by developing online classes that are easy to use, focusing on the features that are frequently used by university students. In addition, universities should continuously provide training and advice to increase students’ perceived usefulness of online classes.

Reimagining e-leadership for reconfigured virtual teams due to Covid-19

Driven by an unexpected transition into virtual working worldwide as a result of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, in this paper, we examine the extent to which existing knowledge from the literature on virtual teams (VTs) spanning two decades can be used to inform how leadership can be exercised in the Covid-19 ‘new normal’, involving ‘reconfigured’ VTs which have both similarities with, and differences from, earlier VTs. Drawing on existing literature on VTs pre-Covid-19, we explore what current (and future) VTs might look like and what this means for leadership in this new context with an emphasis on how leadership, or e-leadership, can be exercised to help the leaders of traditional, physically collocated teams that had to transition into VTs. These new e-leaders need to come to grips with a variety of new challenges in order to create high-performing and sustainable VTs. Following a semi-systematic, state-of-the-art literature review, we: (a) identify key themes and explain with a theoretical model how existing knowledge can lead to new insights for newly transitioned e-leaders; (b) discuss what future information systems (IS) researchers should focus on given the reconfiguration and new characteristics of VTs in the Covid-19 context; and (c) ‘translate’ the findings of our synthesis of the existing literature into prescriptive advice that can be used to inform practitioners.

The Mediating Role of Gender, Age, COVID-19 Symptoms and Changing of Mansion on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers Operating in Italy during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the performance of hospitals and intensive care units around the world. Health care workers (HCWs) have been used to developmental symptoms, but this was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic when HCWs have been faced with many other sources of stress and anxiety that can usually be avoided. Moreover, long-term shifts and unprecedented population restrictions have weakened people’s ability to cope with stress. The research aims to observe the dynamic interplay between burnout, depression, distress, and anxiety in HCWs working in various settings, with specific a focus on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal achievement in mediating a worse mental health status during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. We performed a mediation analysis, which resulted in a strong correlation among depression, psychological distress, health perception and anxiety, and the impact of job burnout on anxiety, depression, and distress. Gender seemed to have a strong correlation with burnout, anxiety, and distress; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Quality of Life seemed to affect anxiety and depression; the possible changes in job tasks and duties (intended as a change in work area or location and role change)influenced depression and job burnout. Encouraging supportive and educational strategies would be recommended to policymakers.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on public managers' attitudes toward digital transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a process of digital acceleration and has likely changed the attitudes of local public managers toward information and communication technology (ICT). While this attitude change has been reasonably argued, it has not been systematically measured. This study narrows this gap by measuring the attitudes of public managers before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, this study finds that the pandemic has led public managers to be more confident in the capacity of ICT to help cities achieve their economic, social, and environmental goals and respond to challenges. Both explicit and implicit measures confirmed attitude changes. The explicit measures also indicated that the change in public managers' attitude toward ICT was similar to their change in attitude toward scientific progress and greater than their change in attitude toward other issues that have played a major role during the pandemic, namely, climate change, citizen participation, and privacy.

The concept of an e-platform cooperation model in the field of 3D printing during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented public health and economic crises around the world. The protection of human health and life has become the most important challenge. Disrupted supply chains resulted in shortages in the supply of essential medical equipment and personal protective equipment. The quick response to this situation was the use of 3D printers for the production of this type of article, especially for the medical service. The initial experience presented in this article (the review of solutions and initiatives based on cooperation in the field of 3D printing during the first wave of the pandemic) showed the challenges faced by organizations engaged in 3D printing during the pandemic. The performed identification and compilation of the difficulties that occurred during cooperation in crisis conditions allowed the author of this article to present an original proposal to minimize the most important of these problems. The main purpose of the article is to present the concept of a cooperation model based on an internet platform in the field of 3D printing during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will allow to increase the efficiency of management of activities necessary in crisis conditions.

Journey of customers in this digital era: Understanding the role of artificial intelligence technologies in user engagement and conversion

Purpose

The first research objective is to understand the role of digital [artificial intelligence (AI)] technologies on user engagement and conversion that has resulted in high online activities and increased online sales in current times in India. In addition, combined with changes such as social distancing and lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital disruption has largely impacted the old ways of communication both at the individual and organizational levels, ultimately resulting in prominent social change. While interacting in the virtual world, this change is more noticeable. Therefore, the second research objective is to examine if a satisfying experience during online shopping leads to repurchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Using primary data collected from consumers in a developing economy (India), we tested the theoretical model to further extend the theoretical debate in consumer research.

Findings

This study empirically tests and further establishes that deploying AI technologies have a positive relationship with user engagement and conversion. Further, conversion leads to satisfying user experience. Finally, the relationship between satisfying user experience and repurchase intention is also found to be significant.

Originality/value

The uniqueness of this study is that it tests few key relationships related to user engagement during this uncertain period (COVID-19 pandemic) and examines the underlying mechanism which leads to increase in online sales.

Influence of Social Distancing Behavior and Cross-Cultural Motivation on Consumers’ Attitude to Using M-Payment Services

With the sustainable economy and the development of innovative technology, China is anticipated to have a large number of mobile payment (m-payment) users due to cultural influences and population size. This payment culture leads to a significant motivation to adopt m-payment services, which can stimulate new users from other groups. The role of cultural motivation is the most important factor in the m-payment context. This paper empirically examines the impact of cross-cultural motivation in the context of the practicing of social distancing behavior due to COVID-19 and the mobile payment (m-payment) context. We develop a conceptual model to validate user intention to use mobile payment systems during the COVID-19 crisis. Data were surveyed from 409 international students in China, and the model is validated using the AMOS structural equation modeling approach. Similar to the results of previous studies based on the adoption of mobile payment, this study also confirms the hypothesis testing. The key and robust result is that, due to cultural motivation and social distancing behavior, international students respond swiftly to the use of mobile payment services during COVID-19. Subsequently, perceived usefulness and awareness influence behavior intention to use mobile payment services. The findings of this study suggest that motivational characteristics, including the awareness of efficiency and the social distancing behavior due to COVID-19, play an important role in the adoption of mobile payment. As a result, the empirical results of this research provide useful information to stakeholders so that they can enhance m-payment services strategies and implement these successfully by considering various factors.

The effect of toxicity on COVID-19 news network formation in political subcommunities on Reddit: An affiliation network approach

Political polarization remains perhaps the “greatest barrier” to effective COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures in the United States. Social media has been implicated in fueling this polarization. In this paper, we uncover the network of COVID-19 related news sources shared to 30 politically biased and 2 neutral subcommunities on Reddit. We find, using exponential random graph modeling, that news sources associated with highly toxic – “rude, disrespectful” – content are more likely to be shared across political subreddits. We also find homophily according to toxicity levels in the network of online news sources. Our findings suggest that news sources associated with high toxicity are rewarded with prominent positions in the resultant network. The toxicity in COVID-19 discussions may fuel political polarization by denigrating ideological opponents and politicizing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, all to the detriment of mitigation measures. Public health practitioners should monitor toxicity in public online discussions to familiarize themselves with emerging political arguments that threaten adherence to public health crises management. We also recommend, based on our findings, that social media platforms algorithmically promote neutral and scientific news sources to reduce toxic discussion in subcommunities and encourage compliance with public health recommendations in the fight against COVID-19.