Strengthening resilience in organizations through creativity: Work practices and role clarity are influential

Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings: Firms need to be more resilient to survive and prosper in the wake of major crises like the global Covid-19 pandemic. This key organizational resource can be strengthen through work practices that focus on creativity. However, desired outcomes are threatened if levels of role clarity are high, as this can serve to limit employee motivation to find novel solutions. Originality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

An examination of the emerging field of community paramedicine: a national cross-sectional survey of community paramedics.

BACKGROUND: Community Paramedicine is an evolving community-based model that expands paramedic roles from emergency and transport care to a focus on non-emergent and preventive health services tailored to local community needs. Though community paramedicine is a growing field and acceptance is gradually increasing, there is limited information on community paramedics (CPs) perceptions of their expanded roles. The study's aim is to assess CPs' perceptions about their training, roles, role clarity, role readiness, role satisfaction, professional identity, interprofessional collaboration, and the future of the community paramedicine care model. METHODS: Using the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians-mobile integrated health (NAEMT-MIH) listserv, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in July/August 2020 using a 43-item web-based questionnaire. Thirty-nine questions evaluated CPs' training, roles, role clarity, role readiness, role satisfaction, professional identity, interprofessional collaboration, and program/work characteristics. Four open-ended questions examined perceptions of the future of community paramedicine care models and challenges/opportunities encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was analyzed using Spearman's correlation, Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative content analyses. RESULTS: Responses from fifty-seven CPs were analyzed. Most (80%) completed didactic and/or clinical training. Nearly all respondents (96.5%) performed health assessments; only 38.6% administered vaccines. Overall, participants were neutral about their role readiness with a mean score of 3.3/5.0. The mean role clarity was 15.5 (range 4-29; higher scores = higher clarity), professional identity was 46.8 (range 30-55; higher scores = higher identity), role satisfaction was 4.4/5 with 5 = very satisfied, and interprofessional collaboration was 9.5/10 (10 = very important). Role clarity training (rho = 0.4, p = 0.0013) and higher interprofessional collaboration (rho = 0.4, p = 0.0015) were found to be significantly associated with the enhancement of professional identity. Respondents who completed training showed higher role satisfaction compared to those who did not (p = 0.0114). COVID-19 challenges included keeping up with emerging policies/procedures, CPs' well-being, and inadequate funding to meet service needs; opportunities identified included service delivery expansion and CPs meeting community needs in a flexible manner. Respondents reported that sustainable payment models, expanding services, and geographic reach were important to the future of community paramedicine. CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional collaboration is important to fulfill CPs roles. Role clarity and readiness could be improved, which aligns with the emerging nature of community paramedicine. The future of the community paramedicine care model is dependent on funding and expanding reach of services.

Prevention-focused leadership and well-being during the pandemic: mediation by role clarity and workload

Purpose: The global pandemic has required organisational leaders to respond rapidly in a time of uncertainty. A specific challenge for leaders during the global pandemic is the salient and immediate threat to worker health and well-being. Unfortunately, the consequences of different leadership actions in this context are not well understood. By exploring the path from leader behaviour to employee well-being via experienced work characteristics, this study aims to provide a framework for better understanding pandemic threat and corresponding leadership impact. Design/methodology/approach: Two prevention-focused leadership strategies were explored: defend and adapt strategy. Two important work characteristics role clarity and workload were used to help explain the links between leadership strategies and well-being. Potential mediating pathways were tested in path analysis with Mplus (v7.4) based on 515 online survey responses. Findings: Different mediating pathways demonstrated complex associations between the constructs. Increases in the both prevention-focused leadership strategies were found associated with positive well-being by increasing employees' perceptions of leadership and by improving role clarity in the workplace. Notably, evidence also supported that increase in defend strategy was linked to reduced worker well-being through intensified workload. Originality/value: In times of uncertainty amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, prevention-focused leadership is vital to engage the workforce and ensure compliance with safety procedures to avoid associated risks to worker health and organisational performance. This research focused on the rarely studied topic of prevention-focused leadership, and how prevention strategies were related to employee well-being. Based on the findings for prevention-focused defend and adapt strategies, this study suggested leadership practices that might shape employee well-being in a time of turbulence. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The Impact of a Workplace Terrorist Attack on the Psychosocial Work Environment: A Longitudinal Study From Pre- to Post-disaster.

The psychosocial work environment is of great importance for regaining health and productivity after a workplace disaster. Still, there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of a disaster on the psychosocial work environment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether employees' perceptions of role clarity, role conflicts, and predictability in their work situation changed from before to after a workplace terrorist attack. We combined data from two prospective work environment surveys of employees in three governmental ministries that were the target of the 2011 Oslo terrorist attack. A first two-wave survey was conducted 4-5 years and 2-3 years before the attack, and a second three-wave survey took place 10 months, 2 years, and 3 years after the attack. Of 504 individuals who were employed at the time of the bombing, 220 were employed in both pre- and post-disaster periods, participated in both the first and the second survey, and consented to the linking of data from the two surveys. We found no significant changes in levels of role clarity, role conflict, and predictability from before to after the terrorist attack. Adjusting for sex, age and education had no effect on the results. The findings suggest that perceptions of the psychosocial working environment are likely to be maintained at previous levels in the aftermath of a workplace disaster. Considering the importance of the psychosocial work environment for regaining health and productivity, the findings are important for the preparation for, and management of, future crises.

OD's "Contribution" to Addressing Grand Challenges

Before I dig in, I want to suggest that many non-governmental organizations (NGO), non-profits, and benefit corporations, as well as a number of internal units in for-profit firms, are working to address voting rights, racism, income inequality, and climate change in participative and developmental ways. Todays climate and engagement surveys are direct descendants of survey feedback;newly formed groups routinely engage in team building activities;and OD was in the visioning, role clarity, decision rights, and culture change business a long time before they became au courant in organizations. [...]Worley and Jules (2020) pointed to a "blind spot" in the field. Unfortunately, coaching executives will not change a culture;unconscious bias training will not end racism, and flawlessly executing a change management process to create diversity and sustainability organizations that have to compete with other functions for scarce resources and management attention will not create inclusion and lower your carbon footprint.