Leading Successful Novice Teachers

Instructional leaders have the ability to set the culture and climate of a school campus to be inviting, welcoming, and collaborative. Therefore, it is important that school leaders provide professional development opportunities to novice teachers that support growth in developing a sense of confidence and competence in content and pedagogy. Hence, the instructional leader becomes an important stakeholder in the life of a novice teacher.

Identity Politics and the Politics of Learning

How can faculty assist and equip students to become more “critical consumers” of the information they receive in a culture and climate of alternative facts and multiple truths? With increasing differences in political views informing “truth perspectives,” the shift in what is quickly becoming normalized as a form of appropriate discourse has fostered a culture of entitlement that lends support to voicing critique without critical inquiry. In this article, we examine the multiple and intersecting systems of power and privilege. The recognition of contradictory subjective locations occupied by all the participants in the classroom, including the instructor, are discussed. As practitioners seeking more effective forms of dialogue and engagement, we challenge conventional hegemonic discourses of difference and stereotypical representations within learning by questioning identity politics within the politics of learning and by examining the clashes between discourse and policy in the university classroom.

How the interplay between organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ shapes police officers’ perceptions of community policing

This article draws on interview data and the concepts of organisational ‘culture’ and ‘climate’ to critically assess police officers’ perceptions of community policing in one English constabulary. In so doing, it considers the cultural, organisational and wider contextual determinants of officers’ alignment to this style of police work. With an emphasis on developing community partnerships and engaging in problem-solving, rather than enforcement of the criminal law, community policing has been seen a primary way of rendering officers more ‘responsive’ to the needs of citizens, improving police–community relations and driving down crime rates. An important reform movement in police organisations around the world, the success of community policing nonetheless depends on officers’ willingness and ability to deliver it. Accordingly, the generation of evidence about the ‘drivers’ of officers’ attitudes to inform strategies to promote the delivery of the approach is essential. Findings suggest that officers value community policing as an organisational strategy but that the approach maintains a low status and is undervalued compared with other specialisms within the organisation. This is born of an organisational culture that foregrounds law enforcement as the primary function of police work and an organisational climate that reinforces it. This has implications for community officers in terms of their perceptions of and attitudes towards the approach, self-esteem and sense of value and worth, perceptions of organisational justice, discretionary effort and role commitment. Recommendations for police managers are set out.

Addressing the knowledge divide: digital knowledge sharing and social learning of geographically dispersed employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate digital knowledge sharing (KS) and social learning (SL) of geographically dispersed employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe method is qualitative case study action research within a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions; 22 employees from various geographically dispersed entities were selected through purposive sampling. Employees took part in interviews to explore their perspectives on and experiences with digital KS and SL.FindingsFindings first show that successful digital KS and SL hinges on the motivation, intentions, attitude and behaviour of employees to share and co-create knowledge embedded in supportive KS culture and climate. Second, findings show that the implementation of knowledge sharing platforms customised to the needs and preferences of employees within the case study organisation facilitated KS and SL, which in turn aided the development of individual and organisational capability, agility and adaptability required in the contemporary, digital knowledge economy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was a single case study of an organisation within one business sector, namely logistics, encompassing a small sample of 22 employees. Hence, this study does not permit statistical generalisation but only permits internal generalisation.Practical implicationsForming and sustaining networks of influencers, i.e. employees who are role models of digital KS and SL, who serve as strong advocates and ambassadors for instilling a KS culture and climate within the organisation have a powerful influence on evoking digital KS and SL organisation-wide.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is that it presents an evidence-based “Digital Knowledge Sharing and Social Learning model” depicting the factors that influence digital KS and SL, the benefits and outcomes. This model aids researchers and practitioners to better understand the dynamics of digital KS and SL between organisational members in a cross-cultural business environment during times of crises.

Connecting Key Organizational Dimensions for Creating Value Focused on Service in the New Era

This is an era of profound changes in the businesses management and in people’s life. Many companies need to survive, recover and find new ways to create value for stakeholders. A focus on service is an imperative for that purpose, but it is necessary to harmonize this focus with a right understanding about the creation of value in the organizational reality according to the new era. As new technologies are replacing, facilitating and complementing the work of service employees more than ever, it is crucial reorienting the value that service can add. Our task is rethinking the main forces for establishing a focus on service in order to create consistent value. We focus on service culture and climate as the forces that need to be integrated for conveniently connecting with the organizational dimensions for creating value. Through an anthropological analysis and the case methodology we can understand the connection among the key organizational dimensions and the value they create: (a) to obtain sufficient incentives and resources-economic value, (b) to develop the organizational capability-social value and (c) to forge trust and commitment to the mission-ethical value. We extend current conceptualizations about climate and culture focused on creating value and share our reflections about the required connections for consolidating an integrated value, suggesting some managerial implications for that purpose.

Methodological aspects of patient safety culture research: A scoping Review

Investigating the safety culture has been relevant for more than two decades as a tool to improve the quality of patient care. This is a scope review of the last 20 years, whose objective is to investigate the type and prevalence of methodological approaches to patient safety culture and climate research. A review protocol was registered. The results were reported according to reports of preferred items for systematic reviews and extension of meta-analyzes for scope reviews (PRISMA-ScR). 107 studies were included. From the results, three major themes emerged for discussion, and the studies were classified into 1) Methodological approach and indeterminate use of concepts of climate and safety culture; 2) The isolated use of self-administered questionnaires in safety culture surveys and 3) A survey of the mixed methods approach in patient safety culture research. The quantitative approach was shown to be predominant, with the use of self-administered questionnaires for studies of the climate and culture of patient safety. The studies pointed out several limitations in the exclusive use of questionnaires, emphasizing the need to include multimethod research and the use of qualitative data collection techniques as an essential complement for the diagnosis of the patient safety culture.

The Assistant Principalship: A Keystone or a Stepping Stone

Schools are dynamic environments surrounded by static brick and mortar. Schools are a complex entanglement of systems clinging to normalcy led and composed of individuals seeking growth and progress. There is constant turnover as students move through the systems, gaining mastery, seeking support, and receiving guidance. Employees similarly move often as they change roles and responsibilities, as cultures emerge and evolve, and as individuals retire, are hired, or move on to other positions, commonly referred to as “job rotation.” This constant change affects a school’s culture and climate as each is achieved through sustained efforts. When change is present within the school leadership, specifically those identified as assistant principals within their organizational hierarchy, the impact on school culture may be even more dramatic than the effects felt with the turnover of students and teachers.

Developing Leadership Cultural Agility for Civil Discourse

Organizations continue to increase their presence in the global landscape, and their leaders are frequently challenged by the political, socio-economic, and cultural diversity of the growing workforce. The global organization's culture and climate are often influenced by employees' education, local political involvement, and digital and medial landscape. As a result, organizational leaders should develop culturally agile competencies in order to engage and motivate their employees. This study examines the role and need for cultivating cultural agility in leaders of global organizations in an effort to assist them in developing effective civil discourse among their followers.