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1 – 10 of 70Secchi and Cowley (2016, 2018) propose a Radical approach to Organizational Cognition (ROC) as a way of studying cognitive processes in organizations. What distinguishes ROC from…
Abstract
Purpose
Secchi and Cowley (2016, 2018) propose a Radical approach to Organizational Cognition (ROC) as a way of studying cognitive processes in organizations. What distinguishes ROC from the established research on Organizational Cognition is that it remains faithful to radical, anti-representationalist principles of contemporary cognitive science. However, it is imperative for proponents of ROC to legitimize their approach by considering how it differs from the established research approach of Distributed Cognition (DCog). DCog is a potential contender to ROC in that it not only counters classical approaches to cognition but also provides valuable insights into cognition in organizational settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a conceptual/theoretical approach that expands Secchi and Cowley's introduction of ROC.
Findings
The paper shows that DCog research presupposes a task-specification requirement, which entails that cognitive tasks are well-defined. Consequently, DCog research neglects cases of organizational becoming where tasks cannot be clearly demarcated for the or are well-known to the organization. This is the case with the introduction of novel tasks or technical devices. Moreover, the paper elaborates on ROC's 3M model by linking it with insights from the literature on organizational change. Thus, it explores how organizing can be explored as an emergent phenomenon that involves micro, meso and macro domain dynamics, which are shaped by synoptic and performative changes.
Originality/value
The present paper explores new grounds for ROC by not only expanding on its core model but also showing its potential for informing organizational theory and radical cognitive science research.
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Dinuka B. Herath, Davide Secchi, Fabian Homberg and Gayanga B. Herath
Jonathan Led Larsen, Katrine Schepelern Johansen, Julie Nordgaard and Mimi Yung Mehlsen
Cannabis use in the context of psychosis has been shown to have a negative impact on prognosis and yet it is difficult to treat. Recent randomized controlled trials all have…
Abstract
Purpose
Cannabis use in the context of psychosis has been shown to have a negative impact on prognosis and yet it is difficult to treat. Recent randomized controlled trials all have negative findings and novel approaches is sought after. This paper aims to use an embodied cognition framework to add to the understanding of cannabis use in psychosis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents longitudinal, qualitative data on two individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and using cannabis at least twice weekly prior to inclusion in the study. Factors influencing cannabis use were mapped in dialogue with the participants. Each participant was interviewed six times over the course of a year. The analysis was informed theoretically to describe processes maintaining or ameliorating cannabis use over time.
Findings
This study shows that a systems approach for understanding changes in cannabis use is meaningful; the richness of observations add to the understanding of differences in outcomes. Findings suggest that reductions in cannabis use in psychosis could be dependent on synergistic effects between contextual conditions. Attending closer to the experience of patients may help inform future interventions. However, interventions focusing on single mechanisms may be futile, if an array of individual, formative experiences are a prerequisite for change. A systemic understanding of dual diagnosis calls for tailored, individualized interventions.
Originality/value
The research tests a novel systemic perspective on cannabis use in psychosis by applying it to qualitative longitudinal data. Adding a systemic perspective may help develop future interventions addressing cannabis use in psychosis, which has long been considered a “hard problem” in dual diagnosis treatment.
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Dinuka B. Herath, Davide Secchi, Fabian Homberg and Gayanga B. Herath
Roberto Godoy Fernandes, Luciano Ferreira da Silva and Leonardo Vils
The purpose of this paper is to verify how distributed cognition enhances collaborative problem-solving in the context of projects.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify how distributed cognition enhances collaborative problem-solving in the context of projects.
Design/methodology/approach
Using qualitative research and in-depth interviews, a sample of 32 project managers with experience in traditional and agile methods acting in Brazil and internationally participated in the research process. The analysis process, utilising coding techniques, involved stages: open, axial, coding and selective coding. These stages encompassed the evaluation of categories based on a hierarchy, in order to determine an appropriate level of abstraction that properly explains theoretical findings.
Findings
The results indicate that distributed team cognition is significant for collaborative problem-solving. The data from the interviews allowed the proposal of a model of cognition, and the identification of the elements that support it.
Practical implications
Understand how aspects of distributed team cognition can impact the behaviours of the project professional and contribute to problem-solving in the project environment.
Originality/value
The elements observed affects the collaborative problem-solving by presenting a model of distributed cognition, which is composed by directed communication, collective interaction, trust building and collaborative behaviour.
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The paper aims to use part of the distributed cognition literature to study how employees cope with organizational plasticity, in an attempt to identify the characteristics of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to use part of the distributed cognition literature to study how employees cope with organizational plasticity, in an attempt to identify the characteristics of cognitive plasticity.
Design/methodology/approach
Evidence is collected by designing and implementing an agent-based computational simulation model (the IOP 2.0) where employees have the option to use external resources and the social environment to perform tasks. As plasticity is more effective when change and uncertainty are high, the simulation features an increase in the difficulty and number of tasks to which employees need to cope.
Findings
Cooperation and sharing of competence and ability are key to cognitive plasticity. Being able to master the use of some resources, together with other employees’ competencies, make some achieve the most efficient task performance.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that under conditions of change and plasticity, human resource management (HRM) shall attempt to develop measures to support employees' cognitive skills necessary to cope with it, for example, mostly through diagnosis, training and facilitating on-the-job dialogue.
Originality/value
This is the first study that attempts a merger between organizational cognition and plasticity, and it is the first to match its results to HRM policy recommendations.
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Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia, Resmiye Alpar Atun and Rokhsaneh Rahbarianyazd
This study assesses changing aesthetic values and their characteristics in urban environments based on human perception. With this in mind, a model for assessing the aesthetic…
Abstract
This study assesses changing aesthetic values and their characteristics in urban environments based on human perception. With this in mind, a model for assessing the aesthetic values of the urban environment based on the three steps of human cognition has been developed to elaborate the user's perception in different urban environments.
The results of the survey confirm that by changing urban morphology the aesthetic perception of the environment also changes. The finding of this research opens up a new window for urban planners to assess the aesthetic effects of the elements of urban spatial configuration for future urban development.
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