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Acoustic pattern recognition has shown itself to be a powerful inspection aid.

This article seeks to examine the experiences of the recent introduction of performance‐related pay (PRP) in German public services. From an industrial relations perspective, it addresses the question of how different designs of PRP schemes and the circumstances under which PRP is implemented influence its functionality and its acceptance by employees.

The paper uses an analysis of 215 works and establishment agreements, 17 case studies in municipalities of the federal state of North Rhine‐Westphalia (including employee attitude surveys in three cases), and interviews with experts from the employers' federation and the trade union.

It is shown that – in accordance with the literature – enhancing employee motivation is not the only objective pursued by the collective actors in the introduction of PRP. Different PRP schemes have differing effects: highly selective PRP schemes tend to fail; schemes resembling conventional appraisal systems have little positive effect on motivation and performance, whereas participative systems focusing on the inclusion of employees can offer an opportunity to renegotiate performance objectives in the public services.

Factors such as balancing material interest and social recognition, and strengthening participative elements could be crucial for improving the acceptance and functionality of PRP schemes.

This paper provides first findings on the recent introduction of PRP in the German public sector and contributes to the discussion on the functionality of PRP in public services.

Many autistic people do not have any access to healthcare services or they experience significant barriers to navigating the healthcare system. The purpose of this paper is to represent a significant concern in almost every healthcare setting, including specialized doctors and psychotherapists, outpatient medical care, access to preventive treatments (e.g. information on health and hygiene, vaccinations and early diagnostic screenings) and treatments in hospitals for emergency medical care. Therefore, it is necessary to provide professionals with guidelines and knowledge and to establish concepts for the participation of autistic people also with respect to adequate healthcare.

As a doctor and autistic person, the author’s training and personal experiences have provided the author with a unique perspective on this topic. It has also given the author an important opportunity to provide recommendations on ways to improve access to appropriate medical services for autistic individuals, improve communication between healthcare providers and autistic individuals and improve overall experiences within the healthcare and medical setting.

The paper provides information about the shortcoming of the healthcare system for autistic people, problems and barriers to access the healthcare system and for assessment and treatment and offers various suggestions to overcome these restrictions.

This paper is of special value as it is written by a medical doctor who has the diagnosis of ASD herself since she is 27. This combination of professional background on one side and person with ASD on the other side is of special value to permeate the topic.

The article aims at examining the ethical limits and risks of servant leadership. During the Second World War, the German army officer Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal servant to his nation and homeland. But when he learns about the Nazis’ mass murders and crimes, he begins to have doubts about whom he should serve. Being confronted with numerous moral dilemmas, he finally decides to join a resistance group. Of course, Stauffenberg's situation as colonel and leader was an extreme case. Time and again, however, managers and leaders are faced with similar dilemmas. Indeed, the current COVID-19-crisis shows that even today’s leaders are repeatedly faced with almost insoluble dilemmas. The recent literature about ethics and leadership suggests a philosophy which is almost portrayed as a panacea to any ethical issues: servant leadership (SL). This study, however, questions the commonly held view that SL is always ethical. The purpose of our historical case study is twofold. First, this study explores the ethical challenges Stauffenberg (and other officers) faced and how they dealt with them. Second, this study elaborates on what responses (if any) SL would provide to these challenges.

The applied method is a historical case study, in which the authors draw on a plethora of secondary literature, including books, reports, and articles.

By analyzing the historical case of “Operation Valkyrie,” this study elaborated and identified risks and limitations of SL and pointed out ways to address these risks. In particular, SL poses risks in the case of a too narrow understanding of the term “service.”

While other leadership styles, e.g. transformational leadership or charismatic leadership, have been extensively studied with regard to ethical risks, in the case of SL possible risks and limitations are still largely unexplored.