•Governing a smart city is about promoting sustainable collaborative networks.•Study of co-governance performance fosters smart cities policy making perspectives.•Robustness, flexibility and ...efficiency affect co-governance performance.
This paper addresses the concept of collaborative governance in the context of smart cities, with a focus on supporting and recommending performing organizational structures for sustainable collaborative networks (SCN). It highlights that governing a smart city is about promoting an effective environment of collaboration in the government and implying adaptive policy-making to construct new, internal and external human collaborations. Considering the smart governance as a collaborative network of government agencies and external stakeholders including citizens and a socio-technical system, we conduct in this paper an ethnographic mixed method by combining a qualitative method that studies actors’ collaboration and engagement in co-governance with a quantitative method that is based on graph theory to provide numerical analyses of organizational structures. While the qualitative method aims to discover organizational “smart factors” that affect the performance of SCN structures or configurations, the quantitative method aims to find “smart indicators” and metrics to evaluate these organizational factors. The result of this mixed method is an analytical recommender framework of the relevant SCN organizational structures in terms of robustness, flexibility and efficiency.
Research has identified an extensive potential for energy efficiency within the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas ...emissions. The purpose of this study is to enhance the knowledge of vital drivers for energy efficiency in this sector by providing a critical and systematic review of the empirical literature on drivers to energy efficiency in manufacturing firms at the firm level. The systematic literature review (SLR) is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2016. The findings reveal that organizational and economic drivers are, from the firms’ perspective, the most prominent stimulus for energy efficiency and that they consider policy instruments and market drivers to be less important. Secondly, firm size has a positive effect on the firms’ energy efficiency, while the literature is inconclusive considering sectorial impact. Third, the studies are mainly conducted in the US and Western European countries, despite the fact that future increase in energy demand is expected outside these regions. These findings imply a potential mismatch between energy policy-makers’ and firm mangers’ understanding of which factors are most important for achieving increased energy efficiency in manufacturing firms. Energy policies should target the stimulation of management, competence, and organizational structure in addition to the provision of economic incentives. Further understanding about which and how internal resources, organizational capabilities, and management practices impact energy efficiency in manufacturing firms is needed. Future energy efficiency scholars should advance our theoretical understanding of the relationship between energy efficiency improvements in firms, the related change processes, and the drivers that affect these processes.
Consumer collaboration in mental health research has demonstrated significant benefits and reflects both contemporary research practice and policy goals for the expected genuine involvement of ...consumers in all aspects of mental health service delivery. Notable barriers have been identified as impeding consumer researcher positions that must be better understood and ultimately addressed. The aim of this research was to better understand these barriers from the perspectives of non‐consumer researchers who have worked collegially with consumer researchers. We developed a self‐report survey, Consumers as Researchers in Mental Health (CaRiMH) and administered it to non‐consumer mental health researchers in Australia and New Zealand. Findings suggest a lack of organizational structures to support both consumer research and capacity building of consumer researchers. Most consumer researchers were employed casually with no set hours. Although consumer researchers were typically remunerated, inadequate funding and inflexibility of employment were highlighted as major barriers. There was variation in opinion about token involvement of consumer researchers and some uncertainty about whether these roles, where they existed, were actively resisted. Despite the acknowledged barriers, participants were positive about collaborations with consumer researchers. Overall, findings suggest consumer research is unlikely to proliferate without greater attention to organizational structures. A systematic and strategic approach to advancing mental health consumer research is required, including extra‐organizational policy factors.
The present enquiry explored the extent to which potential professional motivation at various empowering and preventive organizational structures can affect organizational indifference among faculty ...members and employees at different branches of Islamic Azad University, Kohgiloyeh and Boier Ahmad Branch. A descriptive survey design was adopted to conduct the study and the research data were gleaned via direct observation, interview and library research tools. The research population comprised 334 faculty members and 452 employees at various branches of Islamic Azad University in Kohgiloyeh and Boier Ahmad Province during the academic year of 2014-2015. A random sample of 400 participants were selected using relative stratified sampling procedure. The accumulated research data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software and Baron and Kenny’s (1986) Structural Equation Modelling. The findings revealed that potential motivation أخساشاقcan promote cheerful working atmosphere, enhance satisfaction and respect for and compliance with workplace rules and regulations, reduce employee absence and increased personal endeavor to achieve organizational goals and implement organizational policies.
This article applies classical concepts of organizational structure and extends them to contemporary challenges of diversity to explore why unequal opportunity structures persist in an organization ...despite its commitment to diversity and employing highly skilled ethnic minority employees. Based on a study of the team-based municipal center CityBiz, the article inquires as to how inequality is embedded in two structural features: first, the differentiation of roles accelerates in response to continuous change, which results in similar workers being attracted to collaborating with one another, which generates inequality. Second, inequality is sustained by inadequate integration methods that merge a formal–informal hierarchy, which results in peer competition and majority elites. The structural approach to organizational diversity developed in this article nuances the current research on diversity that is predominantly concerned with employee experiences of inequality in an organizational structural landscape perceived as fixed and stable. This study offers a dynamic view of organizational structure based on how it is experienced, navigated, and reshaped by employees of different ethnicities. Linking micro-interactions to structural triggers and outcomes points to situated caveats about inequalities ingrained in the organizational structural set-up. Tapping into employees’ sentiments and interactions furthermore gives the possibility to mobilize collective change in favor of equal opportunities.
Customer value management has become a key priority in business markets, but many firms struggle to implement it. While the prior literature has considered this primarily as sales responsibility, ...emerging research suggests that best practice firms employ dedicated value champions to implement customer value management. However, at present, we know little about the characteristics, and the tradeoffs between different value championing approaches in business markets. Based on a discovery-oriented field research and interviews with 59 managers in 11 firms, this study illustrates four alternative role configurations firms use to employ value champions, and unpacks the characteristics and implications of each approach. Collectively, this study advances industrial marketing theory by shedding light on an emergent and contemporary management practice, and offering practical insights into how firms can employ value champions in business markets.
•This study explores how firms employ value champions in business markets.•We elicit insights from a discovery-oriented field study with 59 managers from 11 different industrial firms.•Findings illustrate four alternative role configurations for value champions in business markets.•Results describe the specific characteristics and implications that each role configuration has for customer value management.
Purpose
Neurostrategy is an abductive decision-making process developed from the knowledge generated within the network of decision-makers. It links cognitive style with the team's decisional ...adaptability in relation to the organization's purpose. Neurostrategy differs from traditional methods, in which it addresses negative utility or decisional trauma, highlighting the variety of interests that are the main cause of team misalignment and allowing for the development of strategies to address them. Neurostrategy enables the classification of strategy deficiencies based on cohesion, coordination, communication and conduction (Co4).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces a novel approach called relational neurostrategy (RNS) to elucidate the knowledge processes influencing decision-making. RNS aims to “capture” the intricate processes guiding decisions, enabling the network's decisional plasticity in both forms and contents. This adaptability is crucial for effectively addressing posed challenges, while simultaneously mitigating the impact of diverse interests. The methodology also ensures transparency in the decision-making process and generates an effective solution strategy.
Findings
The RNS addresses two critical aspects of the decision-making process. Firstly, it reduces unnecessary variety stemming from multiple interpretations and secondly, it minimizes the adverse impact of diverse interests within the decision-making network. This approach results in strong and credible decisions that reflect the collective intelligence, cooperation and collaborative efforts of the network, rather than being imposed as absolute truths.
Originality/value
The RNS stands out as a distinctive decision-making method, setting itself apart from existing approaches. Its uniqueness becomes evident in its ability to address the question “what prevents the authors from … ?” from this inquiry, RNS successfully integrates unrequired variety and negative utility. By doing so, it strategically narrows down the search field to the universe of distinctions that truly constitute the problem. This innovative process not only enhances efficiency but also fosters a high level of participation in the strategic design of potential solutions. In essence, RNS brings unprecedented value by effectively navigating the intricacies of decision-making and maximizing the relevance of the identified problem space.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of Ecopoiesis. Introduction of the concept of ecopiesis, which explains the linkage strategy between relational and energetic resources ...(sustainability) that enable the relational viability of living things.
Design/methodology/approach
The design is based on the use of the relationship between abduction, epigenesis, cismogenesis and morphogenesis.
Findings
This paper concludes with a counter-intuitive proposal to the dominant lines of thought, distinguishing: Complexity as vital interweaving, Aristotelian Oikos as communitarian distinction, Organism-Entorno from relational theory (beyond the interactional), in a cybernetic referential framework that allows tending to sustain and sustain life from Ecopoiesis.
Originality/value
According to a relational theory of cognition, the sources of knowledge go beyond genetic and environmental factors. In the sphere of explanation, this study moves from “how much,” “why” and “how” to “why not.” Thus, the processes involved in understanding the living are forced to move from the logic of parts to the logic of patterns, which implies developing an explanation that considers the unique characteristics of development, encompassing the diverse origins of the organization of the living.
This study draws on the structural perspective of organization theory to investigate how firms can organize for cross-selling. Specifically, it analyzes how configurations of organizational ...structures and steering instruments are associated with cross-selling performance. Results show that mechanistic and organic organizational cross-selling structures should be closely aligned with financial and nonfinancial steering instruments: while the interactions between mechanistic cross-selling structures and non-financial steering instruments are likely to result in high levels of cross-selling performance, organic cross-selling structures should be combined with financial steering via cross-selling incentives. Findings also reveal a U-shaped relationship between cross-selling performance and firm EBITDA. These results suggest that to enhance profits, firms should either organize for very high levels of cross-selling performance or refrain entirely from investing in cross-selling structures or steering instruments.
Cloud applications monitoring: An industrial study Tamburri, Damian A.; Miglierina, Marco; Nitto, Elisabetta Di
Information and software technology,
November 2020, 2020-11-00, Letnik:
127
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Modern software systems employ large IT infrastructures hosted in on-premise clouds or using “rented” cloud resources from specific vendors. The unifying force across any cloud strategy is ...incremental product and application improvement against conservation of those resources. This is where monitoring of cloud applications becomes a key asset
To shed light over the status of monitoring practices in industry, we study: (a) monitoring practices and tools adoption in industry; (b) size and complexity of industrial monitoring problems; (c) the role of software architecture and software process with respect to monitoring strategies.
We conduct mixed-methods empirical research featuring interviews and a web survey featuring 140+ practitioners from over 70 different organizations.
Even if the market makes available a significant set of monitoring tools, our results show a rather unappealing picture of industrial monitoring: (a) industrial decision-makers do not perceive monitoring as a key asset even though the downtime of their applications correlates heavily with the level of automation and responsiveness enabled by monitoring; (b) monitoring is done with crude technology, mostly MySQL querying or similar (e.g., Nagios); finally, (c) incidents are discovered by clients rather than application owners.
We conclude that the road toward the industrial adoption of cutting-edge monitoring technology is still one of the less travelled, presumably in connection to the considerable investment required. Furthermore, the lack of industrial cloud monitoring standards does not help in addressing the proliferation of multiple tool combinations, with varying effectiveness. Further research should be invested in looking into and addressing these major concerns.
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