Peak performing organisations

The literature on organisational performance is riddled with measurement problems that cannot easily be solved. In contrast we argue that elite theory in terms of performance can be more easily measured by the win record of sports organisations. Accordingly, this article argues that certain organisational peak practices are key to understanding how peak performance is sustained. Through data collected from the top ten sports organisations in the world we introduce the embryonic theory of Peak Performing Organisations (PPO). Sustained PPO practices offer more robust outcomes than the genre of High Performing Organisations.     

The Danish Effect: Beginning to Explain High Well-Being in Denmark

Although income and happiness have been linked at both the individual and national levels of analysis, few studies have specifically examined the different relationships between these two variables in affluent nations. This study investigates various measures of well-being in both the United States and Denmark. Respondents in both countries reported high levels of well-being but Americans generally reported greater positive and negative affect while Danes reported higher levels of satisfaction and enjoyment. Interestingly, low income respondents in the United States reported higher negative affect and lower life satisfaction than their counterparts in Denmark. For positive affect, the major difference between the two countries was found among high income respondents. The key to understanding differences in the well-being of these two nations appears to lie in understanding the well-being of the poor. Suggestions for future directions in research are discussed.     

Overcoming barriers to effective practice in child care

This paper describes the work of three Action Learning Sets – two groups of child care social workers and one group of health visitors. Given the substantial investment in child care research and its dissemination, we wanted to examine barriers to effective practice from the vantage point of workers themselves. Our core question was: ‘What can we do about the things that get in the way of effective practice?’ The method, based on that of ‘co‐operative inquiry’, sought to engage front‐line practitioners as active collaborators in the research. While several of the barriers can be seen as part of the common predictable experience of professionals working in large public sector organizations, a key message is the importance of re‐invigorating models of supervision that can sustain high quality practice. What emerges is a contemporary picture of the pressures on child care workers and of the struggles to make sense of professional roles in different organizational landscapes. We are committed to evidence‐based practice, practice that is derived from the best knowledge available. We would simultaneously stress the importance of ‘holding environments’ to promote effective learning. Our experience suggests that Action Learning offers a constructive method for encouraging such environments and facilitating better practice.     

世界公共交通简讯

<正>葡萄牙首都里斯本市区有260万人口,其中1/4居住在Tagus河的南岸。1999年建成一条连接里斯本市中心与南岸的铁路线,目前正在南岸建造一个有轨电车网。一期工程有3条线路,服务范围的人口有31万,于2005年底建成通车。一期工程的     

世界公共交通简讯

<正>爱沙尼亚爱沙尼亚首都塔林共分8个区,面积159km2,人口40万。城市公共交通的组织、路线规划和票务由市政府负责管理。公共交通的运行有2家公共汽车公司和1家电车公司(有轨电车与无轨电车),另有1家票务公司负责车票的发     

Risk-taking, attitudes toward aggression, and aggressive behavior among rural middle school youth

This study examined the relationship between risk-taking, general acceptance of aggression (GAA), verbal harassment (VH), and aggressive behavior (AB) in the last 30 days among 1440 seventh- and eighth-grade rural middle school youth. Higher levels of risk-taking predicted higher GAA and VH. Significant interactions for AB indicated that, excepting Black youth, higher risk-taking was related to higher levels of violent behavior. Among Black youth the highest levels of AB occurred at moderate levels of risk-taking. Level of risk-taking is an important risk factor that should be taken into account in the study of attitudes toward aggression and aggressive behavior among rural youth.