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Article
Publication date: 2 March 2010

Kathryn R. Stam and Jeffrey M. Stanton

The purpose of this article is to understand the relationship between emotional salience and workplace events related to technology change by using a combination of key features…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to understand the relationship between emotional salience and workplace events related to technology change by using a combination of key features of two popular psychological theories – regulatory focus theory and affective events theory – to view the change process in diverse settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on analysis of 18 months of qualitative interview data (n=52 respondents) collected before, during and after the introduction of three different new technologies in three organizations – a hospital, a manufacturing facility, and a psychological counseling center. The mixed methods approach combined descriptive case studies and a structured coding approach derived from a synthesis of the two theories with which the transition processes at each organization were examined.

Findings

Employees with a so‐called promotion‐focused orientation were more likely to accept an IT change and the events related to it. Organizational cultures and the staging of events play a role in individuals' affective reactions and behavior. The use of the framework is promising for illuminating the role of emotions, the timing of change events, and subsequent behavior in response to organizational change.

Research limitations/implications

The variety of types of organizations and job types represented, as well as the types of IT change proposed in each, provides a rich sample of diverse motivations and scenarios. Further development of the relationships between the timing of organizational events and regulatory focus is needed.

Practical implications

The proposed framework suggests a shift in emphasis away from beliefs and towards emotionally relevant events. The findings suggest consideration of two distinct motivational aspects of both new and old technology. A peak in emotional events related to training indicates that an organization must actively manage how the plans, strategies, and communications with regard to training affect workers' beliefs and expectations.

Originality/value

The paper highlights how an emphasis on emotionally relevant events and attention to the regulatory focus involved in interpretation of those events could provide the basis for new approaches to organizational interventions. Interventions should focus on facilitating situations where individuals can frame relevant transition events with a promotion focus.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1980

Steven D. Zink

The United States government is the world's largest publisher. Its presses churn out thousands of items annually, covering every conceivable subject. Even though most of the items…

Abstract

The United States government is the world's largest publisher. Its presses churn out thousands of items annually, covering every conceivable subject. Even though most of the items deal with present day concerns, the United States government is responsible for the publication of a large number of histories. Unfortunately, these works, with the possible exception of the Department of Defense's Military History Series, have received little exposure and limited use. In an effort to bring this valuable resource to light, the following bibliography presents annotated citations to nearly 150 histories published from mid‐1977 through mid‐1979.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1994

Details have now been released of the six research efforts, developing new technologies for digital libraries, which are being funded for four years by the US government. The…

Abstract

Details have now been released of the six research efforts, developing new technologies for digital libraries, which are being funded for four years by the US government. The Digital Library Project's focus is ‘dramatically to advance the means to collect, store, and organise information in digital forms, and make it available for searching, retrieval and processing via communication networks — all in user‐friendly ways.’

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 12 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Malcolm Pattinson, Marcus Butavicius, Kathryn Parsons, Agata McCormac and Dragana Calic

The aim of this study was first to confirm that a specific bank’s employees were generally more information security-aware than employees in other Australian industries and second…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was first to confirm that a specific bank’s employees were generally more information security-aware than employees in other Australian industries and second to identify the major factors that contributed to this bank’s high levels of information security awareness (ISA).

Design/methodology/approach

A Web-based questionnaire (the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire – HAIS-Q) was used in two separate studies to assess the ISA of individuals who used computers at their workplace. The first study assessed 198 employees at an Australian bank and the second study assessed 500 working Australians from various industries. Both studies used a Qualtrics-based questionnaire that was distributed via an email link.

Findings

The results showed that the average level of ISA among bank employees was consistently 20 per cent higher than that among general workforce participants in all focus areas and overall. There were no significant differences between the ISA scores for those who received more frequent training compared to those who received less frequent training. This result suggests that the frequency of training is not a contributing factor to an employee’s level of ISA.

Research limitations/implications

This current research did not investigate the information security (InfoSec) culture that prevailed within the bank in question because the objective of the research was to compare a bank’s employees with general workforce employees rather than compare organisations. The Research did not include questions relating to the type of training participants had received at work.

Originality/value

This study provided the bank’s InfoSec management with evidence that their multi-channelled InfoSec training regime was responsible for a substantially higher-than-average ISA for their employees. Future research of this nature should examine the effectiveness of various ISA programmes in light of individual differences and learning styles. This would form the basis of an adaptive control framework that would complement many of the current international standards, such as ISO’s 27000 series, NIST’s SP800 series and ISACA’s COBIT5.

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Malcolm Pattinson, Kathryn Parsons, Marcus Butavicius, Agata McCormac and Dragana Calic

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of two studies that assessed the attitudes of typical computer users. The aim of the research was to compare a self-reporting…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of two studies that assessed the attitudes of typical computer users. The aim of the research was to compare a self-reporting online survey with a set of one-on-one repertory grid technique interviews. More specifically, this research focussed on participant attitudes toward naive and accidental information security behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first study, 23 university students responded to an online survey within a university laboratory setting that captured their attitudes toward behaviours in each of seven focus areas. In the second study, the same students participated in a one-on-one repertory grid technique interview that elicited their attitudes toward the same seven behaviours. Results were analysed using Spearman correlations.

Findings

There were significant correlations for three of the seven behaviours, although attitudes relating to password management, use of social networking sites, information handling and reporting of security incidents were not significantly correlated.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample size (n = 23) and the fact that participants were not necessarily representative of typical employees, may have impacted on the results.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the challenge of developing a reliable instrument that will assess individual InfoSec awareness. Senior management will be better placed to design intervention strategies, such as training and education of employees, if individual attitudes are known. This, in turn, will reduce risk-inclined behaviour and a more secure organisation.

Originality/value

The literature review indicates that this study addresses a genuine gap in the research.

Details

Information & Computer Security, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2014

Kathryn Parsons, Agata McCormac, Malcolm Pattinson, Marcus Butavicius and Cate Jerram

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the human-based information security (InfoSec) vulnerabilities in three Australian government organisations.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the human-based information security (InfoSec) vulnerabilities in three Australian government organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

A Web-based survey was developed to test attitudes, knowledge and behaviour across eight policy-based focus areas. It was completed by 203 participants across the three organisations. This was complemented by interviews with senior management from these agencies.

Findings

Overall, management and employees had reasonable levels of InfoSec awareness. However, weaknesses were identified in the use of wireless technology, the reporting of security incidents and the use of social networking sites. These weaknesses were identified in the survey data of the employees and corroborated in the management interviews.

Research limitations/implications

As with all such surveys, responses to the questions on attitude and behaviour (but not knowledge) may have been influenced by the social desirability bias. Further research should establish more extensive baseline data for the survey and examine its effectiveness in assessing the impact of training and risk communication interventions.

Originality/value

A new survey tool is presented and tested which is of interest to academics as well as management and IT systems (security) auditors.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

A. Srinivasa Rao and Waheed Kareem Abdul

The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate impact of transformational leadership on team performance and the effects of support for innovation and psychological…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate impact of transformational leadership on team performance and the effects of support for innovation and psychological empowerment in this association. Over the past many decades, teams have become an increasingly popular way of organizing and coordinating work. This trend creates new challenges for leaders, as they are expected to motivate individual employees and to improve team performance simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a conceptual framework for understanding motivation and support extended to individual employees which would influence team performance. The conceptual framework includes psychological empowerment and support for innovation as mediating variables in the effect of transformational leadership on team performance. The study also validates the proposed conceptual framework using a second-order confirmatory factor analysis technique, namely, partial least squares-structural equations modeling, with the data collected from 182 followers from 10 service organizations in the UAE.

Findings

The findings suggest that transformational leadership has significant positive impact on team performance and, on the contrary, transactional leadership has significant negative effect on team performance. Two dimensions of psychological empowerment such as meaning and self-determination have partial mediation effect in the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the research that identifies team mechanisms influenced by transformational leadership that can affect team success and performance, particularly in the context of UAE-based organizations. Managerial implications and future research areas are further discussed.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2020

Turkhan Sadigov

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the article explores an understudied side of invention commercialization–the rejection of business as something “dirty” among Russian…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the article explores an understudied side of invention commercialization–the rejection of business as something “dirty” among Russian scientists. As such, the paper contributes to the individual-level explanations of innovation promotion, hence balancing extant literature's excessive focus on institutional explanations. Second, the article suggests that Russian scientists' rejection of business is rooted in broader Russian work ethics rift between “material” and “ideational” aspects of life. As such, the paper shows how dominant collective values refract in the management practice of specific social class, i.e. of scientists.

Design/methodology/approach

To analyze the rift between material and ideational aspects of Russian scientists' work, the article employs directed content analysis (DCA) of in-depth interviews with 45 Russian scholars. To address credibility bias of the research findings stemming from DCA, I further draw on the survey of existing studies, researches and polls highlighting Russian population attitudes toward the dichotomy between “material” and “ideal” realms.

Findings

This study argues that Russian scientists' likelihood of invention commercialization is positively associated with their ability to integrate in a personal psyche business and science as equally valuable facets of life.

Originality/value

The article identifies the three groups of scientists – opportunity-seekers, idealists and integrators – with different attitudes to invention commercialization. The article shows how policymakers should apply institutional incentives differently to each group of scientists to achieve higher rates of invention commercialization.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 May 2021

Saymon Ricardo de Oliveira Sousa, Cristiane Melchior, Wesley Vieira Da Silva, Roselaine Ruviaro Zanini, Zhaohui Su and Claudimar Pereira da Veiga

This study aims to (1) investigate the association between companies' investment in occupational safety and their financial performance and (2) discuss the importance of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to (1) investigate the association between companies' investment in occupational safety and their financial performance and (2) discuss the importance of occupational safety to overall performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Occupational safety is often considered to be a practice that can yield suboptimal return on investment. However, it is not known whether this belief is substantiated by evidence. A mapping review of the eligible research literature (N = 36) regarding firms' investment in occupational safety and their financial performance, published between 1945 and2018, was carried out in the Web of Science database.

Findings

By dispelling myths regarding return on investment associated with occupational safety, the findings of this study underscore financial gains firms can obtain by promoting occupational safety measures in their organizations.

Originality/value

These issues are important because they can help policymakers understand the pressures companies face in terms of occupational safety and financial performance sustainability.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

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