Policy Learning and Transformational Change: University Policies on Sexual Harassment

ABSTRACT

This essay comes out of my experience as an attendee at the #MeTooPoliSci short course in the American Political Science Association meeting in 2018. I use the framework of policy feedback theory to explain the difficulty in reforming sexual harassment policies at universities and prescribe some actions we as scholars can take to improve the situations at our places of employment.     

Every Minute Counts: Using Process Improvement and Performance Feedback to Improve Patient Flow in an Emergency Department

Prolonged emergency department (ED) visits are associated with a number of adverse outcomes for patients as well as lower patient satisfaction scores and increased costs. Several factors that influence the length of ED visits are out of the control of hospital employees, but some opportunities exist to improve performance. For this study, the ED department of a 150-bed hospital in the southeastern United States wanted to improve door-to-discharge time. To do so, a subprocess of door-to-discharge time was targeted, door-to-order. After analyzing the process, the team created standard orders for the 10 most common presenting conditions in the ER with preapproval, allowing nurses to submit the orders without the provider first visiting the patient. Following the process change, daily feedback was added to increase utilization of the preapproved orders. Reductions in door-to-order times and door-to-discharge were observed and patient satisfaction remained stable. Implications for future research in this area are discussed.     

An Evaluation of Staff Preference for Graphic Characteristics

The purpose of the current study was to assess staff preference for how data were displayed on graphs. Specifically, preference for line versus bar graphs was assessed, as well as preference for data displayed as one date in time versus multiple dates showing performance trends. A secondary purpose of the study was to assess staff comprehension of the data presented across different graphic displays. Participants included 60 entry-level direct care staff and 25 seasoned therapists. Therapists had more advanced training in applied behavior analysis than the direct care staff. The vast majority of direct care staff preferred data depicted as a bar graph versus data depicted as a line graph, even preferring a single bar graph over a time-series line graph. The therapists preferred time-series line graphs to bar graphs. Most staff demonstrated understanding of the data, regardless of how it was depicted.     

The triggers of local and distant search: Relative magnitude and persistence in explaining acquisition relatedness

Research on problemistic search has assumed negative attainment discrepancy to be the trigger of both local and distant search. Extending this research, we present and compare two additional triggers: (1) relative attainment discrepancy, which reflects how much a firm's attainment discrepancy deviates from its past negative attainment discrepancies; and (2) persistent attainment discrepancy, which reflects how often the firm experiences below-aspirations performance. Our triggers for distant search model a behavioral explanation for the timing and relatedness of acquisitions. We find support for baseline arguments of problemistic search whereby firms increase both industry- and skill-related acquisitions when they perform below aspirations. When they persistently perform below aspirations, however, this likelihood is reduced and firms engage in acquisitions that are more unrelated, thereby providing support for the notion of expanding search boundaries from local to distant search. Of the two triggers of distant search proposed, relative attainment discrepancy does not induce firms to expand search boundaries. Our results indicate that persistent attainment discrepancy is a key construct to consider when studying the expansion of search boundaries.     

Teaching Employees How to Receive Feedback: A Preliminary Investigation

ABSTRACT

There is a substantial literature on how to deliver feedback to change performance. However, to date no research has been conducted on teaching employees how to effectively receive feedback, even though employee behavior during a feedback session could moderate the effects of feedback. Thus, we developed a list of skills that should be exhibited by an employee while receiving verbal feedback. We then evaluated their acquisition after behavioral skills training using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across participants. The results showed that participants were able to acquire and maintain appropriate feedback receiving behavior.     

Analysis of a two incongruent arrivals and services M/G/1 queue with random feedback

A queuing system with two incongruent arrivals and services is considered. Two kinds of customers enter the system by Poisson process and the service times are assumed to have general distribution. After first kind service completion, it may feedback to repeat the first service, leave the system or go to give second service. The same policy is applied for the other kind of customer. All stochastic processes involved in this system are independent. We derive the probability generating function for each kind and for the system that yield the performance measures. Some numerical approaches examined the validity of the results.     

美国《国家生物工程食品信息披露标准(实施细则)》制定中公众参与的经验及启示

公众有效参与立法活动能够促进立法的民主性,提高法律规则的可实施性。2018年12月,美国《国家生物工程食品信息披露标准(实施细则)》公布于世。除具体条文外,另有详尽的公众参与制定该规则的全过程记录同时发布。通过对美国公众参与立法的全阶段进行分析发现,其公众参与立法程序较为完善且公众参与性强。结合我国公众参与立法的现状,提出引入“立法预先公告”程序,扩大公众参与主体范围、增加公众参与立法的途径、适当延长公众评议时间、完善公众评议反馈制度、进行充分的立法信息公开等具体建议,切实保证公众在参与立法过程中获得现实参与感,以促进立法民主化、科学化,为我国法治国家建设助力。     

团队真实型领导、新员工反馈寻求行为与社会化结果

领导掌控着组织的资源,其态度和行为对新员工能否顺利社会化起关键作用。基于真实型领导和员工反馈寻求社会化理论,探讨团队真实型领导、反馈导向对新员工反馈寻求行为和社会化结果的影响。纵向选取53个团队中304个入职9个月内的新员工为调查样本,运用多层回归和结构方程模型进行验证。研究结果表明,团队真实型领导和反馈导向正向影响新员工反馈寻求行为,团队真实型领导显著正向调节反馈导向与新员工反馈寻求行为之间的关系;在高团队真实型领导水平下,高反馈导向的新员工表现出更频繁的反馈寻求行为;团队真实型领导与反馈导向的交互作用通过新员工反馈寻求行为对角色清晰度、社会融入度和工作满意度3个社会化结果起间接积极作用,表明团队真实型领导可以促进新员工有更多的反馈寻求行为,进而帮助他们成功社会化。     

服务型制造网络的Holon协同需求评价方法

依据复杂网络理论分析服务型制造网络Holon协同需求问题，给出一种考虑以直觉正态模糊数表示且多Holon协同的服务型制造网络协同需求评价方法。首先，在区分Holon复合协同和递归协同基础上构建服务型制造网络协同需求评价指标体系；其次，考虑基于网络结构特征的Holon相似稳定性，根据服务型制造网络节点相似性测度分析Holon协同需求特征，并测算不同相似性测度修正的Holon网络结构熵；再次，建立面向服务型制造网络和Holon的有专家信息双向触动反馈机制，反馈包括评价指标和网络协同状况，反馈Holon信息包括基于服务型制造网络演化方向的Holon间协同需求建议和基于服务型制造网络现有状态的网络连通性Holon协同需求建议；最后由INFCWA（INFCWA_R）算子或INFCWG（INFCWG_R）算子分别对复合协同和递归协同评价信息集结并得出评价结论。方法设计过程通过例证分析说明根据服务型制造网络目标控制的Holon协同需求评价改进了群组评价效率。     

Evaluating the Temporal Location of Feedback: Providing Feedback Following Performance vs. Prior to Performance

In order to make feedback as effective as possible, it is important to understand its function in the three-term contingency (TTC) and the impact of various factors involved in delivering feedback. Timing of feedback is one factor that can affect the impact of feedback on learner’s behavior. An analysis of timing of feeback may help us getting closer to better understanding how feedback functions in the TTC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feedback at different temporal locations. Specifically, feedback was provided either immediately (a) after a teaching session or (b) before the following teaching session, on teaching performance of undergraduate psychology students. The results indicated that feedback provided before the teaching session was more effective in improving teaching skills than feedback that was provided after the session. These findings suggest that feedback may function primarily as an antecedent to future performance and not necessarily as a consequence for past performance. However, the behavioral mechanism that explains these results is not yet clear. Future studies should investigate this further by manipulating the content of feedback prior to the teaching performance.