The topology of collective leadership

Over the past decade, there has been a surge of both theoretical and empirical research to explore the possibilities of shared leadership, a reorientation of leadership away from understanding the actions and interactions of “leaders” to understanding the emergent, informal, and dynamic “leadership” brought about by the members of the collective itself. Naturally, this focus on topology (or structural patterning) has prompted researchers to leverage the advancements in network analytic methodology to understand this paradigm of leadership. Despite the recognition of the unique advantage of studying collective leadership using network analysis, there has been a translational gap. The current paper aims to fill this gap, bridging the core ideas that epitomize collective leadership to the social network metrics and analytics needed to fully understand its antecedents and consequences.     

Regression Tolerance Intervals

In this article, we discuss the utility of tolerance intervals for various regression models. We begin with a discussion of tolerance intervals for linear and nonlinear regression models. We then introduce a novel method for constructing nonparametric regression tolerance intervals by extending the well-established procedure for univariate data. Simulation results and application to real datasets are presented to help visualize regression tolerance intervals and to demonstrate that the methods we discuss have coverage probabilities very close to the specified nominal confidence level.     

Reducing Surgical Ward Congestion Through Improved Surgical Scheduling and Uncapacitated Simulation

High surgical bed occupancy levels often result in heightened staff stress, frequent surgical cancellations, and long surgical wait times. This congestion is in part attributable to surgical scheduling practices, which often focus on the efficient use of operating rooms but ignore resulting downstream bed utilization. This paper describes a transparent and portable approach to improve scheduling practices, which combines a Monte Carlo simulation model and a mixed integer programming (MIP) model. For a specified surgical schedule, the simulation samples from historical case records and predicts bed requirements assuming no resource constraints. The MIP model complements the simulation model by scheduling both surgeon blocks and patient types to reduce peak bed occupancies. Scheduling guidelines were developed from the optimized schedules to provide surgical planners with a simple and implementable alternative to the MIP model. This approach has been tested and delivered to planners in a health authority in British Columbia, Canada. The models have been used to propose new surgical schedules and to evaluate the impact of proposed system changes on ward congestion.     

Multiple Rhythmically Varying Prices,the Timing of Factor Demands and Induced Technological Change

ABSTRACT: This Paper the existing literature on optimal capital utilisation and shiftwork patterns by arguing that labour is not the only input to exhibit a price which varies over the time of day week or year Indeed in certain situations as in the w e of capital intensive industries which are heavy consumers of electricity labour costs may not even be the most important consideration The introduction of a second varying input price can completely alter the optimal operating times of production units Once this extension has been adopted it is a fairly easy final step to demonstrate that some firms face a strong inducement to develop technologies which allow them to use their capital and labour independently This type of technological change has become commonplace in recent years but largely unexplained by the existing literature These developments have important implications for the organisation of work patterns and the flexible use of the labour input     

Solidarity in Action at a Time of Crisis: The Role of Employee Voice in Relation to Communication and Horizontal Solidarity Behaviour

Solidarity behaviour (SB) among employees is important in building a sense of community in organizations, particularly within a crisis context where adverse working conditions prevail. However, we have limited knowledge concerning how SB develops. Using the lens of social exchange theory, this study examines how top-down communication and employee voice relate to horizontal (employee to emplCoyee) SB. We conducted two comprehensive studies during the Greek economic crisis and found that the relationship between top-down employee communication and horizontal SB is mediated by employee voice. The paper extends our existing knowledge in the fields of management and human resource management by advancing our understanding of horizontal SB, highlighting the role of top-down employee communication as an effective human resource practice and delineating the role of employee voice in fostering workplace camaraderie in small and medium-sized enterprises under crisis.