Developing an integrated framework of healthcare leaders' resilience

Healthcare institutions have been under pressure for years now, climaxing in the COVID-19 crisis. Even if they are not operating at a trouble spot of the current COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare leaders need to be highly resilient to remain effective as well as staying healthy themselves. The purpose of this study is to shed light on healthcare leaders' challenges and, more important, their specific resilience factors. By doing so, we can expand the knowledge of this fragmented research field and deliver an integrated framework that has so far been lacking. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with healthcare leaders. More precisely, 35% (7) of our interviewees were physicians, 55% (11) worked in nursing, and 10% (2) were nonclinical professionals, with 50% (10) of our participants working in upper, 40% (8) in middle, and 10% (2) in lower leadership positions. Based on a qualitative content analysis approach, we identified main healthcare leaders' challenges as well as crucial resilience factors (i.e., individual, situational, and behavioral factors). By integrating insights from contemporary leadership and work-related resilience research, we were able to develop an integrated framework of healthcare leaders' resilience. Considering resilience as a context-dependent construct, we are contributing to the resilience and healthcare literature by investigating the specialty of healthcare leaders' resilience. This study is contributing to the future development of resilience interventions in healthcare organizations that might help not only healthcare leaders to better cope with critical situations but also promote resilience development among their followers and organizations.

Working from home and management controls

The Covid-19 pandemic and the corresponding shift toward working from home (WFH) amplifies control problems within organizations and poses severe challenges for management control as employees' tasks are difficult to observe under WFH conditions. We examine the association between WFH and action controls. Based on a survey among employees in a large international corporation, we find that under WFH conditions the organization more intensively uses standardization and planning participation. We also examine the association between WFH and employee outcomes. The findings suggest that WFH is associated with more time employees spend in meetings and a higher job focus. Overall, the study adds to the literature by exploring the association between WFH and the use of management controls in organizations.

Organizational readiness and innovation in the Jordanian telecommunication companies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of organizational readiness (OR) dimensions (organizational culture, climate and capability) on three types of innovations (INs) (service, process IN and entering new markets) in telecommunication companies. The study also tests the mediating role of employee engagement (EE) in the causal relationship between OR and IN. Design/methodology/approach In the theoretical framework, a deep and broad review of the literature was presented to determine the study variables and hypotheses that were tested in the field study. The study sample consisted of 306 respondents distributed to the headquarters of the three companies (Zain, Orange and Umniah) working in the Jordanian telecommunications sector. The number of questionnaires retrieved and valid for analysis was 255 (83%). Findings Results indicate a positive effect of organizational climate and organizational capacity on process IN and entering new markets. While organizational culture had no significant effect on the three types of IN EE did not have a mediating role in the relationship between OR and IN. Research limitations/implications The results of this study are related to the telecommunications sector as a highly competitive service sector and more able to work remotely with regard to customers, so its results cannot be generalized to other sectors such as the industry sector, which has suffered in recent years from the epidemic more than other sectors. Practical implications The study of OR as a concept, dimensions and effects provides great experience for leaders and managers facing the challenges of competition and threats posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This study also helps researchers to study OR in new areas and in relation to other concepts. Social implications The OR covers a wide field that includes the individual, the group and the company. Therefore, readiness includes a social experience that can extend from the company to the community. Originality/value The study gains an important value by revealing that organizational culture as a dimension of readiness does not have a significant impact on IN. With the readiness to respond quickly to challenges, culture can be more inclined to the status quo and the prevailing routine than to IN and change.