Search Results (81)

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an unprecedented adoption and integration of telehealth and artificial intelligence (AI) driven by telemedicine technologies into healthcare systems worldwide. These innovations promise to revolutionize healthcare delivery by offering greater accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness to patient needs. However, the rapid deployment of these technologies in response to the crisis has illuminated the imperative need for systematic evaluation processes that comprehensively assess their operations and outcomes. This article underscores the critical importance of developing rigorous evaluation frameworks tailored to the evolving landscape of telehealth and AI-driven telemedicine technologies. The absence of standardized evaluation processes presents multifaceted challenges including uncertainties regarding long-term efficacy, patient safety, data security, and ethical considerations. Ensuring the responsible and effective integration of telehealth and AI into healthcare systems requires adaptable, multidimensional evaluation mechanisms that align with clinical objectives and regulatory standards. Through an examination of documents, procedures, policies, and best practices by regional hospitals, this article advocates for developing evaluation processes that enable stakeholders to optimize the deployment of telehealth and AI technologies fostering patient-centered care while addressing emerging challenges. In an era marked by healthcare transformation, establishing robust evaluation frameworks emerges as a paramount endeavor essential for realizing the full potential of telehealth and AI-driven telemedicine in the post-COVID-19 healthcare ecosystem. Full article

Utilizing a dataset from Metro Manila in the Philippines, we estimate the impact of gender on the return of education for individuals with disabilities, specifically focusing on visual, hearing, and walking difficulties. Controlling sample selection to address endogenous labor participation and accounting for the endogeneity of schooling decisions, our estimations reveal a significant rate of return to education, ranging from 25.7% to 38.1%. Importantly, examining the potential for nonlinear-schooling return, we observe a more pronounced effect of disability for females compared to their male counterparts, suggesting the presence of dual discrimination and signaling effects for females. Our research emphasizes the urgency for the Philippine government to not only improve educational opportunities but also to enhance employment prospects, particularly for females with disabilities. Some of the policy recommendations would include the implementation of equal-opportunity measures, including antidiscrimination policies; an expanded quota system to boost employment opportunities; efforts to address accessibility issues; and subsidies for private-sector employment are also necessary for the economic empowerment of females with disabilities. Full article

Relationally enriched jobs can foster psychological states, which, with respect to the beneficiaries of one’s work, drive one’s motivation. These states can be measured with the psychological effects of relational job characteristics scale, an instrument for which the validity is, at present, only supported by preliminary evidence. Accordingly, the present study’s objective was to test a set of psychometric properties reflecting the validity and reliability of the interpretations proposed for this scale. Findings drawn from a sample of 2011 K-12 Brazilian teachers suggested that a tridimensional structure with some residual covariances afforded the best fit. Given the existence of high inter-factor correlations, a second-order factor was proposed as a complementary, if not necessary, feature. Internal consistency omega and alpha coefficients attested to the scores’ reliability, and the factor structure achieved indicates invariance across public state, public municipal, and private Brazilian schools. Different relationships with prosocial motivation and work engagement were identified, suggesting validity of the scale based on relationships with other variables. Full article

This research paper explores how non-native English-speaking teachers can consider using their multilingualism and transnationalism as assets in creating competitive portfolios fit for the 21st century linguistic marketplace. This enhancement in the portfolio to attract credit as ‘investors of the self’ is an aspect of human capital that can be utilized by non-native English-speaking teachers to enhance their self-esteem. This, in turn, can encourage potential investors to view non-native English-speaking teachers as relevant players in a global landscape that appreciates linguistic diversity and pluralism, as well as transnational experience. This research was conducted by performing interviews with non-native English-speaking teachers and an analysis of website 2.0 sources, aiming to gain insights into the opinions of non-native English-speaking teachers regarding their human capital and how new approaches can aid their equity within the field of English language teaching. The results demonstrated a desire in teachers to utilize their inherent skillsets comprising multilingual and transnational capabilities. Full article

In an ageing society, organizations must consider the inclusion and effective management of older professionals if they wish to remain competitive. Besides having harmful and far-reaching effects on people’s health, age discrimination in the workplace leads to absenteeism, lower levels of productivity, and early retirement. Within such a context, this problematic organizational feature of most Western, now ageing, organizations and labour markets starts gaining more relevance. However, to date there has been little discussion, research, or policy development to ensure that older employees’ skills and capabilities are optimally put to use by organizations without the occurrence of ageism. We present the results of a systematic literature review based on 30 studies in the context of ageing organizations to make recommendations for human resource management. We suggest an approach to effectively manage intergenerational organizations, reducing the occurrence of age discrimination and its related consequences, as well as to achieve high employee engagement. Our review indicates that a strong ethics framework that is continuously followed, disseminated, and updated by management, together with a combination of efforts from all stakeholders, may accomplish the best results towards a culture that respects and values people of all ages at work, positively impacting on productivity. Full article

Stress increases among the working population in Germany. Workplace stress management interventions are therefore becoming increasingly important, especially in the public sector, which has a higher structural risk for work-related stress than other organizations. Currently, face-to-face formats dominate, but promising digital offerings are being developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a stress management intervention as a face-to-face and self-guided digital format, referring to the Job Demands-Resources Model. The preregistered study applied a randomized control group design in which N = 65 public service employees were assigned to face-to-face training, an online course, or waitlist control group. Participants completed online questionnaires before the intervention, shortly after the intervention, and six weeks later. Although trends for reductions in emotional exhaustion and perceived stress were evident among the intervention groups, mixed analyses of variance showed no interaction effects between the time and group on the outcomes. The main effects showed a significant decrease in stress levels regardless of the group and significant differences between intervention groups, with the online course reporting the lowest stress level. The results indicate that digital and analog stress management interventions can have desired effects within occupational health management. However, many unpredictable events (e.g., illness, vacation during the intervention) seem to influence the effectiveness in the workplace setting, and so further research is needed. Full article

Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) have been introduced as an alternative to hospital-based treatment. Their effectiveness and the factors that may influence it have not yet been fully investigated. According to Belbin’s theory, a team is more effective if its members have diverse roles. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is an association between CMHTs’ effectiveness and Belbin’s team role balance. Participants were members of eight CMHTs. The data collected were demographics (age, gender), discipline, years of experience, and team tenure. Also, the following scales were administered: the Belbin Team Role Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) and team effectiveness scale (TES). One hundred and six members participated. A significant correlation between team role diversity and effectiveness was found. Multilevel analysis showed that role diversity and being a doctor were the only two significant independent predictors of team effectiveness. Belbin’s theory is therefore applicable to CMHTs. The more diverse roles the members of a team have, the better the effectiveness of the team. Given that roles can be modified, team leaders need to be aware of the members’ roles and be able to modify them. Thus, they can increase the effectiveness of their teams. Full article

International and national crises often highlight behavioral patterns in the labor market that illustrate women’s courage and adaptability in challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting changes in the workplace due to social distancing, remote work, and tele-communications protocols showcased women’s power of authenticity and accessibility (interpersonal and personalized experiences) to engage with their constituents effectively. The catalyzed this research was our desire to underscore the importance of studying the impact of COVID-19 on women leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light specific challenges and disparities women faced in the workplace. It has been asserted that women leaders substantially benefit businesses and organizations and we wanted to test this out through the practices of our research participants. Decades of research reveal that women leaders enhance productivity, foster collaboration, inspire dedication, and promote fairness in the workplace. This article introduces the feminist Connective Leadership Model (CL) an integrative leadership model and one informed by early feminist theory for understanding women’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed-method study of select US women leaders before and during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the CL model and its efficacy for adaptive, inclusive leadership in various contexts. First, this article highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s leadership and behavioral response to the crisis through the lens of the CL model. Second, this article delves into challenges the women leaders faced, including adaptive challenges, isolation, team management, increased caregiving responsibilities, and gender-related disparities. Third, this article reframes women’s voices articulated through a crisis management leadership framework coupled with an understanding and application of the behaviors defined through complexity theory which are aligned with the CL model. Finally, the article discusses the four ‘As’ of crisis leadership: authenticity, alignment, awareness, and adaptability. The application of the CL model provides an effective framework for determining the most appropriate leadership behaviors within the complex challenges of a crisis; it enables the leader to focus on personal, employee, and organizational well-being. Full article

This paper explores the challenges early career researchers (ECRs) face in academia and the benefits of being part of a distributed peer mentoring network. The study highlights the importance of social capital and emotional and motivational support in promoting wellbeing and career development, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper examines the impact of a collaborative environment on individual productivity and the development of clear goals. The study reveals that the supportive network of like-minded, ambitious people across borders and hierarchies offers the opportunity to identify with others and create a sense of belonging. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for qualitative methods of social network analysis to investigate the meaning of social structures in the career development of ECRs. Full article

In this study, we examine the relationship between supervisor gender, the adoption of HR practices, and employee commitment. Based on leadership theories arguing that female supervisors are more focused on employee needs than male supervisors, we suggest that female supervisors are more likely to adopt HR practices that address employee needs. Using social exchange arguments, we predict that this in turn leads to higher affective commitment among employees. We test our theoretical predictions using three waves of the German Linked Personnel Panel (LPP). Our results indicate that female supervisors promote personnel development practices (DP) more than male supervisors, which has a positive impact on employees’ affective commitment to the organization. We find no statistically significant effect of a female supervisor on the provision of family-friendly work practices (FFWP). We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest avenues for future research. Full article

The objective of this research was to identify the relationships between the variables of job satisfaction, professional satisfaction, distributed leadership, and the perception of insecurity in academics at five universities located in the state of Guanajuato. The research was of a non-experimental type and, according to its temporality, cross-sectional, because it was developed at a specific moment. The study is also descriptive and correlational, because it analyzes the degree of association between the variables. Finally, an exploratory factor analysis study was carried out (AFE). The results revealed that the relationship between the variables of job satisfaction and professional satisfaction was positive and significant, the relationship between the variables of distributed leadership and the perception of insecurity was positive but not significant, and the relationship between the variables of the perception of insecurity and the distribution of leadership was positive and significant. The relationship between the perception of insecurity and job satisfaction was positive but not significant. In the analysis of the control variables of sex, marital status, type of university, and level of studies with the dependent variable of job satisfaction, statistical tests were carried out to verify the existence of the significant differences between the groups. Furthermore, this analysis was conducted in relation to the variables of sex, marital status, and type of university. Full article

The aim of this study is to analyze the well-being of young music teachers working in Trentino Music Schools (TMS). Specifically, we assess (i) the extent to which the interaction between teaching and playing affects the well-being of young musicians using a satisfaction measure for their overall professional path as teachers and musicians, and (ii) what extrinsic and intrinsic drivers may guide their involvement in teaching activities in the early stages of their careers. To this end, we analyze original survey data on young musicians teaching in TMS to estimate their relative satisfaction and identify their motivational drivers. Specifically, we estimate from elementary items six constructs concerning material work conditions, immaterial welfare (i.e., the capabilities activated by the schools), and initial monetary and non-monetary motivations to become a music teacher, then we run two ordered logit regressions to test whether a set of variables of interest and the estimated constructs contribute to explaining junior teachers’ satisfaction. Our findings highlight that junior teachers are satisfied if they can preserve the desired proportion of artistic activity and can teach a consistent number of hours so as to leave the desired space and time for making music independently of school activities. They consider teaching to be one of the components of their professional activities and can be expected to try to maintain sufficient space to be able to also develop the independent artistic sphere of their career as musicians. Full article

Positive leadership such as transformational leadership is pertinent to employee positive work outcomes, yet not many studies have looked at how it functions under specific work environment (i.e., organizational culture). The present study investigates the process and extent to which transformational leadership relates to employee job performance through performance feedback under hierarchical culture within the Asian setting. Using a cross-sectional design with multilevel modelling, 60 private organizations were approached where 44 teams totaling to 256 participants were included in this study. Results reveal that performance feedback mediated transformational leadership and job performance. In the context of transformational leadership under hierarchical culture, a low hierarchical culture and a high transformational leadership showed the highest level of performance feedback while a low level hierarchical culture and a low transformational leadership showed the lowest level of performance feedback. A high hierarchical culture and a low transformational leadership showed the highest job performance while a low hierarchical culture and a low transformational leadership showed the lowest job performance. Organizations in Eastern countries may depend on the positive effects of transformational leadership for higher performance feedback among employees which positively relate to employee job performance. Full article

Workplace wellness programs have the potential to help improve employee well-being and manage the growing costs associated with poor employee health. Low participation rates stunt the benefits to employee health and limit organizations from maximizing their return on investment. Understanding what influences participation is key to developing effective programs. This research explores the complexity of influencers by blending key concepts of the social–ecologic model and the Fogg Behavioral Model. Ninety-one full-time U.S. employees participated and completed a brief online survey. Key measures included participation in workplace wellness programs, perceived workplace support for health, employee motivation to participate, and employee ability to participate. Perceived support for health was positively correlated with all variables examined. These study findings expand on the current literature to help researchers and practitioners better understand the pathways in which culture of health relates to participation in workplace wellness programs by including the potential moderating effects of motivation, ability, and total number of workplace wellness programs. Full article

The aim of this paper was to assess secondary education teachers’ burnout in the Thessaloniki area. More specifically, the teachers of humanities (THs) and the teachers of sciences (TSs) were examined. In these groups, a comparative approach to burnout was performed. The sample consisted of 142 THs and 108 TSs. The Maslach and Jackson burnout measurement scale and the burnout sources questionnaire, as adapted by Mouzoura, were used to collect data. Based on the results of the survey, moderate burnout level was found in the teachers as a whole. It was also proved that between the two groups, there was no difference in the degree of burnout. In addition, THs record lower rates of depersonalization than TSs. Thus, it seems that demographic characteristics, level of education, and type of school differentiate burnout levels. Moreover, both groups of teachers’ specialties identified issues related to educational organization and administration as the most important cause of burnout. Individually, however, THs appear to be more exhausted emotionally due to professional obligations that magnify the workload and time pressure compared to TSs, who are particularly “affected” by the lack of material teaching resources. Moreover, this paper explores and records several dimensions of burnout faced by the participants in the survey and reports certain recommendations that can practically influence their workplace. Full article