Leaders' narrative sensemaking during LMX role negotiations: Explaining how leaders make sense of who to trust and when

This investigation supplements Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory by explaining how leaders make sense of whether and when to trust members throughout role negotiations. This conceptualization of leaders' trust of members describes how leaders emplot members in storylines characterized as predictably good, unpredictable, or predictably bad, and catalogs the formal communication practices indicative of those predictions. Forty working adults, who have reputations for being effective leaders, were interviewed. Constant comparative analysis revealed leaders attempted to produce stories with characterological coherence about members' character development throughout role negotiations. The Leader-to-Member Narrative Sensemaking of Trust (LMNST) concept describes how participants reported trusting and doubting (often simultaneously) their members by evoking combinations of seven narrative elements (i.e., selection, probation, escalation, confederation, jeopardy, redemption, and termination). The LMNST contributes to the leadership communication literature a way of viewing leaders' discourse about members through the lens of narrative logics.     

Thailand's Work and Health Transition

Thailand has experienced a rapid economic transition from agriculture to industry and services, and from informal to formal employment. It has much less state regulation and worker representation relative to developed nations, who underwent these transitions more slowly and sequentially, decades earlier. We examine the strengthening of Thai government policy and legislation affecting worker's health, responding to international norms, a new democratic constitution, fear of foreign importer embargos and several fatal workplace disasters. We identify key challenges remaining for Thai policy makers, including legislation enforcement and the measurement of impacts on worker's mental and physical health.     

Making Sense of Voluntary Participation: A Theoretical Synthesis*

Abstract This paper examines the influence of community attachment on voluntary citizen participation in rural community improvement projects. We do so by modifying the original systemic model of community attachment (Kasarda and Janowitz 1974) and combining it with tenets of rational choice and social embeddedness theories. The modified model is then extended to consider voluntary participation in community projects by accounting for the influence of community attachment through both a solidarity of interests and a solidarity of sentiments (Bell 1998). Based on survey results of almost 9,000 citizens across 99 small (500–10,000) Iowa communities, findings provide overall support for the expected positive influence of local social ties (weak informal, strong informal, and formal) on the two forms of community attachment which, in turn, positively affect voluntary participation. Attachment in the form of community interests shows a strong direct and indirect effect on voluntary participation, while sentiment's influence is largely indirect. We conclude by considering the relevance of our findings to ongoing discussions of social capital.     

Maximum likelihood estimation in generalized broken‐line regression

The author examines the existence, uniqueness, and identifiability of estimators produced by maximum likelihood for a model where the canonical parameter of an exponential family gradually begins to drift from its initial value at an unknown change point. He illustrates these properties with theoretical examples and applies his results to global warming data and failure data for emergency diesel generators.     

Unsociable Work? Nonstandard Work Schedules,Family Relationships,and Children’s Well‐Being

Many children live in families where one or both parents work evenings, nights, or weekends. Do these work schedules affect family relationships or well‐being? Using cross‐sectional survey data from dual‐earner Canadian families (N= 4,306) with children aged 2 – 11 years (N= 6,156), we compared families where parents worked standard weekday times with those where parents worked nonstandard schedules. Parents working nonstandard schedules reported worse family functioning, more depressive symptoms, and less effective parenting. Their children were also more likely to have social and emotional difficulties, and these associations were partially mediated through family relationships and parent well‐being. For some families, work in the 24‐hour economy may strain the well‐being of parents and children.     

Some issues in logistic regression

Much research has been performed in the area of multiple linear regression, with the resuit that the field is well-developed. This is not true of logistic regression, however. The latter presents special problems because the response is not continuous. Some of these problems are: the difficulty of developing a suitable R² statistic, possibly poor results produced by the method of maximum likelihood, and the challenge to develop suitable graphical techniques. We describe recent work in some of these directions, and discuss the need for additional research.     

Filial Therapy: Helping Children and New Carers to Form Secure Attachment Relationships

This article discusses a method of combined play therapy/familytherapy for looked after and late adopted children and theircarers, namely Filial Therapy. Recently introduced into theUK, Filial Therapy’s well-developed practice base andgrowing body of research findings in North American are presentedhere. The rationale for employing the method of non-directiveplay therapy, on which Filial Therapy is based, with childrenwho have been maltreated is outlined. Case vignettes are usedto demonstrate that Filial Therapy is suitable for using withchildren who have multiple problems, since it is attachmentoriented as well as able to help children address their traumatic,abusive memories and emotional defences through play. FilialTherapy also helps carers develop stronger and more adaptiverelationships with their children, reducing their stress levelsand heightening their care-giving responses. Filial Therapyseems highly viable as a robust, cost-effective, treatment strategyto strengthen new and troubled placements. However, there remainimportant questions to be addressed via future research in theUK.     

‘Just because you can get a wheelchair in the building doesn't necessarily mean that you can still participate’: barriers to the career advancement of disabled professionals

Despite governmental efforts and organizational initiatives, the number of disabled professionals in full‐time employment is small, and the number of those occupying leadership positions remains even smaller. Past research into disability and employment has outlined a range of barriers that disabled people face in seeking and maintaining employment. Yet, not enough is known about the challenges they encounter in top ranking appointments. This article extends Ryan's and Haslam's notion of the glass cliff to help explain the precariousness experienced by a group of disabled employees in leadership positions – focusing on the nature of the positions they hold and the difficulties they encounter as they attempt to advance their careers. Using qualitative interview data the analysis draws attention to problems associated with lack of opportunity, lack of resources and lack of support. It also point to ways of making workplace cultures and organizational practices more supportive of diversity.