Search Results (1,564)

Vibocracy refers to societal conditions in which public life and decision-making are shaped by affective resonance, performative legitimacy, and unstable epistemic frames, often amplified by algorithmic media and neo-oral communication environments. Unlike wicked problems, which presuppose shared intelligibility, and post-truth politics, which emphasize the erosion of factual authority, vibocracy designates contexts where problems themselves are enacted and sustained through affective circulation. Recent years have seen the emergence of societal challenges where public life and decision-making are shaped less by shared evidence and deliberative reasoning than by affective resonance and performative legitimacy. This entry introduces the concept of vibocracy to describe these conditions and distinguishes it from existing categories such as wicked problems and messes. The analysis is based on a conceptual synthesis of scholarship from planning, organizational studies, media theory, and political science, combined with illustrative examples from recent societal controversies. The main finding is that vibocratic problems resist not only solutions but stable framing itself, creating volatile, performative arenas where legitimacy is enacted rather than negotiated. The entry concludes by proposing vibocracy as a distinct conceptual lens for understanding emerging societal challenges and outlines methodological implications for researchers and practitioners. Full article

The frequency of technology use is an important factor that can significantly influence employees’ well-being and the perceived quality of their work life in an ever-changing digital workplace. The introduction of new technologies affects the lives of employees. It is therefore important how employees themselves perceive new technologies and the need to digitalize their work tasks. Previous studies have focused more on technology adoption or quality of work life separately. The main aim of the article is to present the results of analyses on how the frequency of technology use is related to employees’ perception of digitalization in their workplace, as well as the impact these factors have on their perceived quality of work life. This study simultaneously examines the impact of perceptions of technological change and frequency of technology use on quality of work life in the context of medium-sized and large industrial enterprises in Slovakia. In this way, it is possible to better understand the connection between digitalization and employee well-being. The research tool was a questionnaire that focused on the perceived quality of work life of employees and questions related to the perception of digitalization and to the frequency of technology use. Hypothesis testing was processed using IBM SPSS version 25 software. Considering the results, it can be stated that a positive perception of technological changes and regular use of technology in the workplace are related to a higher level of quality of work life perceived by employees. The results can be used for multiple strategic and practical applications in organizational development and human-centered approaches to digital transformation. Full article

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach for analyzing the medical–clinical, social, organizational, economic, ethical, and legal implications of a technology, through the evaluation of multiple dimensions such as efficacy, safety, costs, and social–organizational impact. In the healthcare context, “technology” refers to any tool—including pharmaceuticals (or, in this case, vaccines)—that is applied to healthcare practice. HTA focuses on assessing both the real and potential effects of a given technology, either prospectively or throughout its life cycle, as well as the consequences that the introduction or exclusion of an intervention may have on the healthcare system, the economy, and society at large. Full article

Background: The digitalization of medical services is promoted as a solution for improving access, quality, and efficiency within healthcare systems. In this context, the study investigates the extent to which digitalization in Romania meets the current needs of patients through a convergent analysis of user perceptions and managerial perspectives. Based on the specialized literature, the research tests two hypotheses: (H1) the implementation of digital technologies significantly contributes to improving the quality of medical services and operational efficiency; (H2) digitalization has a positive impact on patient satisfaction by facilitating access to care and improving communication with medical personnel. Methods: The study adopted methodology is cross-sectional and mixed, including an online mixed-methods questionnaire for patients, distributed between 6 and 14 May 2025, and a qualitative questionnaire with open-ended questions distributed via e-mail to managers from public hospitals through The Administration of Hospitals and Medical Services of Bucharest, between 3 and 24 March 2025. Results: In total, 125 patients and 15 hospital managers participated in the study. Statistical analysis (χ², ordinal regression) and data triangulation highlight a predominantly positive, yet heterogeneous, patient perception of digitalization, with Hypothesis H1 only partially supported (weak, inconsistent, and in some cases negative associations between technology use and perceived service quality). By contrast, H2 was robustly validated, with patient satisfaction strongly linked to tangible benefits, particularly easier access and online appointment scheduling. However, use remains limited to administrative functions, while advanced technologies such as telemedicine or electronic health records are poorly adopted. From an institutional perspective, hospitals predominantly use IT systems for internal purposes, without real patient access to their own data, no interoperability between medical units, and marginal implementation of telemedicine. This reveals a significant gap between user perception and organizational realities, emphasizing the lack of a patient-oriented digital infrastructure. Conclusions: The results highlight the potential of digitalization to enhance patient experience and service efficiency, while also pointing out structural limitations that hinder the full realization of this potential. Patient satisfaction is strongly associated with tangible benefits, particularly easier access and online scheduling, whereas the effect on perceived quality is weaker and sometimes inconsistent. There are significant disparities in digitalization levels between healthcare providers, perceived by patients as public–private differences, and gaps among public hospitals are also confirmed by managerial data. These findings suggest that a successful digital transformation of the medical system in Romania must address both technological infrastructure gaps and organizational barriers, within a coordinated national strategy that ensures interoperability, patient-centered design, and sustainable implementation. Full article

The construction industry faces persistent productivity challenges despite the widespread adoption of advanced digital technologies. This systematic review examines how digital technologies contribute to improving on-site labor productivity within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECOs) sector. Following the PRISMA methodology, 431 records were initially identified, with 28 high-quality articles ultimately selected for analysis through rigorous screening and snowballing techniques. The reviewed technologies include Building Information Modeling (BIM), photogrammetry, LiDAR, augmented reality (AR), global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs), radio frequency identification (RFID), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which were categorized into three key areas: factors affecting productivity, modeling and evaluation, and productivity improvement methods. Findings highlight that these technologies collectively enhance resource allocation, reduce labor costs, and improve project scheduling through better coordination. Whilst digital technologies demonstrate substantial impact on construction productivity, further research is needed to quantify long-term benefits and address scalability challenges across different project contexts and organizational structures. Ultimately, the review concludes that digital technologies play a crucial role in enhancing construction productivity, highlighting the need for further research to assess long-term advantages and scalability across diverse construction environments. These technological advancements are essential for modernizing the industry and supporting sustainable growth in the digital transition era. Full article

Performance management is critical for aligning human capital with organizational strategy, particularly in the increasingly competitive service sector. However, universally effective performance appraisal systems (PASs) exist, as effectiveness depends on contextual and organizational specificities. In Portugal, where services account for nearly three-quarters of gross value added, PAS implementation remains underdeveloped, highlighting a gap between strategic intent and practice. This study aims to address that gap by investigating how a performance appraisal model can be tailored to the service sector. A case study was conducted at PCI—Creative Science Park, S.A., a consulting firm, using a qualitative approach. The research design combined a literature review to identify theoretical dimensions of performance evaluation with an employee questionnaire to capture organizational perceptions and priorities. Integration of both strands of evidence informed the construction of the framework. The findings indicate that employees value objective-based evaluation as the most relevant dimension, complemented by customer feedback, adaptive performance, and organizational citizenship. Furthermore, the integration of 360° feedback mechanisms and regular review cycles emerged as key enablers of fairness and engagement. By combining theoretical insights with employee perspectives, this study contributes to a customized and flexible PAS that enhances strategic alignment in the service sector. The proposed model provides both scholarly value, by advancing the discussion on context-specific PAS design, and practical value, by offering a reference for organizations seeking to align human performance with mission-critical outcomes. Full article

Action bias, the cognitive tendency to favor action over inaction regardless of its necessity, has been extensively studied across domains such as behavioral economics, organizational behavior, and policy development. However, its manifestation in educational contexts remains critically underexplored. In the digital age, with an abundance of both factual and misleading information, the persistence of action bias within education jeopardizes the cultivation of initial critical thinking capable of addressing multifaceted global challenges. The analysis indicates how institutional norms may foster a performative academic identity that conflates speed and compliance with intellectual competence. Through workshops conducted with university students ranging from undergraduate to PhD levels, participants were tasked with solving a practical yet ambiguous problem to highlight potential cognitive differences across educational stages. Despite prior training in critical thinking, participants consistently defaulted to immediate ideation, bypassing fundamental inquiries into the problem’s legitimacy or broader implications. Using a sensemaking approach, this study demonstrates that reflexive actions are not interpreted as merely cognitive shortcuts but behaviors shaped by educational systems prioritizing visible outputs over critical inquiry. The findings reveal how institutional norms foster a performative academic identity, conflating speed and compliance with intellectual competence. This research challenges traditional pedagogical models, advocating for educational reforms that emphasize assessing the process of learning. By situating action bias within the broader framework of active learning, this study offers actionable insights for educators, policy makers and researchers to foster critical innovative thinking, essential in an increasingly digital future. Full article

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face significant barriers to accessing and maintaining employment, many of which stem from work environments that fail to accommodate their neurological diversity. This article aims to analyze the occupational risks faced by autistic individuals in the workplace. A total of 39 scientific studies were reviewed, and the results identified nine predominant thematic categories of occupational risks. Particularly prominent were deficient communication, lack of structured support, cognitive overload, and difficulties coping with change. The reported situations were examined in detail, with attention paid to their specific contexts. A clear predominance of psychosocial risks over ergonomic ones was observed. The review also highlights several underexplored yet equally relevant risk factors, such as discontinuity in supported employment programs, difficulties in requesting reasonable accommodations, discrimination, a lack of professional recognition, and the negative effects of digital or remote environments, such as isolation. This study underscores the importance of recognizing unsafe conditions arising from the lack of neurodiversity-informed adjustments as a necessary step toward implementing organizational and social adaptations in the workplace. Full article

Innovation projects with sustainable characteristics are increasingly seen as strategic drivers for organizations to expand market share and retain customers. Yet, firms face limited resources while dealing with many potential projects. To address this challenge, an integrated framework for evaluating and ranking innovation projects using sustainability-related factors can support more consistent decision-making. Although several models for project selection exist in the literature, few provide a comprehensive approach that incorporates sustainability criteria. This study proposes a model for selecting innovation projects by explicitly considering sustainability aspects, supported by multi-criteria decision support methods. The methodological approach followed the Design Cycle method, grounded in Design Science Research. The main result is a novel, customizable model for evaluating, ranking, and managing innovation projects within a sustainability-oriented context. The model was validated through application in two high-performance organizations recognized for their innovation and sustainability practices. Additionally, this research offered reflections on how sustainability-driven innovation can be implemented in practice. Overall, the findings demonstrated that the proposed model is adaptable to different organizational realities, sectors, and sizes, enhancing the capacity to assess and understand the role of sustainability in innovation projects more effectively. Full article

Background: Despite significant technological advances, many logistics organizations in emerging markets struggle to realize the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, with reported success rates below 65% and limited theoretical understanding of the organizational capabilities. This study develops and proposes an integrated theoretical framework examining how knowledge process capabilities and dynamic capabilities interact to enable successful artificial intelligence adoption in logistics organizations within emerging market contexts. Methods: Through comprehensive literature review and theoretical synthesis, we propose a hybrid capability framework that integrates knowledge-based view perspectives with dynamic capabilities theory. Results: Theoretical analysis suggests that knowledge combination capabilities may be the strongest predictor of artificial intelligence implementation success, while dynamic reconfiguring capabilities could mediate the relationship between artificial intelligence adoption and performance outcomes. The proposed framework indicates that organizations with hybrid capability architecture may achieve superior implementation success compared to traditional approaches. Environmental uncertainty is theorized to strengthen the knowledge process capabilities—artificial intelligence adoption relationship. Conclusions: The framework suggests that successful artificial intelligence integration requires simultaneous development of knowledge-based and adaptive capabilities rather than sequential capability building. The hybrid capability framework provides theoretical guidance for managers in emerging markets, while highlighting the critical role of environmental context in shaping transformation strategies. Full article

This study investigates hotel employees’ perceptions of AI-driven human resource (HR) management systems within the Accor Group’s properties across three major European cities: Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam. These diverse urban contexts, spanning a broad portfolio of hotel brands from luxury to economy, provide a rich setting for exploring how AI integration affects employee attitudes and work–life balance. A total of 437 employees participated in the survey, offering a robust dataset for structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Exploratory factor analysis identified two primary factors shaping perceptions: AI Perceptions, which encompasses employee views on AI’s impact on job performance, communication, recognition, and retention, and balanced management, reflecting attitudes toward fairness, personal consideration, productivity, and skill development in AI-managed environments. The results reveal a complex but optimistic view, where employees acknowledge AI’s potential to enhance operational efficiency and career optimism but also express concerns about flexibility loss and the need for human oversight. The findings underscore the importance of transparent communication, contextual sensitivity, and continuous training in implementing AI systems that support both organizational goals and employee well-being. This study contributes valuable insights to hospitality management by highlighting the relational and ethical dimensions of algorithmic HR systems across varied organizational and cultural settings. Full article

This paper examines the role of Digital Transformation, Sustainable Development and Organizational Resources in the development of relevant strategies within third-party logistics (3PL) companies. Despite the growing interest in sustainable supply chain management, the literature review reveals a research gap concerning the interrelation between all three pillars of sustainability and emerging information technologies. To address this gap, the paper develops a conceptual framework that serves as the theoretical foundation for the study. It then presents a comprehensive quantitative analysis, showing that digital transformation, combined with specific organizational resources and sustainability practices, can significantly influence companies by fostering capability development, improving business performance, enhancing sustainable impact and supporting the formulation of more effective sustainable strategies. Full article

This study examined the impact of organizational capital (OC) on the cost stickiness of Japanese firms and analyzed whether this effect varies with the magnitude of sales changes. Using 12,727 firm-year observations from Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed firms between 2007 and 2024, we estimated the economic value of OC by capitalizing and amortizing selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses, then classified firms into high- and low-OC groups based on the median. Cost stickiness was then compared across groups using the basic, ABJ, and extended models, with robustness checks based on adjusted OC and two-way fixed effects models. The results indicate that high-OC firms exhibit stronger cost stickiness, while low-OC firms display weaker or insignificant stickiness. The effect depends on the magnitude of sales fluctuations: stickiness is pronounced under small changes but diminishes or disappears under larger shocks. Overall, this study contributes by highlighting the role of organizational resources in shaping asymmetric cost behavior, extending explanations beyond adjustment costs or managerial incentives, and providing novel evidence from Japan, where firms generally exhibit cost stickiness regardless of OC level, reflecting institutional and cultural contexts. Full article

Inclusive education is a central pillar of contemporary educational policy worldwide, aiming to ensure equity, participation, and success for all learners. Understanding how inclusive policies are implemented in everyday school contexts is essential to identify both enabling factors and persistent barriers. In Portugal, this process has been shaped by a progressive legislative framework, notably Decree-Law 54/2018 and its regional adaptation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) through Regional Legislative Decree 11/2020/M. This case study combined qualitative documentary analysis with a questionnaire applied to coordinators of the Multidisciplinary Teams to Support Inclusive Education (EMAEI) from 11 of the 14 secondary schools in the RAM (79% of the total). The questionnaire covered five domains: inclusive principles, leadership, professional development, resources, and diagnosis of learning barriers. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to interpret the data. Results show that coordinators share a strong ethical commitment to inclusion and recognize EMAEI as a strategic organizational structure. However, they point to irregular and insufficient training, delays and mismatches in resource allocation, and limited institutionalization of co-teaching and joint planning. Leadership emerges as a decisive enabler of collaborative cultures. The study concludes that ambitious legislation must be complemented by agile resource management, sustained context-based training, and distributed leadership for inclusive schooling to become everyday practice. Full article

This study explores the evolving role of architecture centers in the digital age by analyzing the case of Casa da Arquitectura (CdA) in Matosinhos, Portugal, a hybrid institution that functions as both archive and museum. Positioned within the broader context of museum digitization and liminality theory, the research investigates how CdA navigates the spatial, social, and procedural shifts inherent in digital transformation. Drawing on qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with key personnel and on-site observations, the study examines the institution’s strategies in acquisition, curation, and exhibition design. The findings highlight CdA’s innovative approach to archival visibility, the creation of a multipurpose digital platform (“edifício digital”), and the integration of archival acquisitions with exhibition practices. These practices illustrate a condition of triple liminality of the digital museum concerning its process, position, and place. The study also discusses how digitization reconfigures the museum’s organizational model in terms of accessibility and curatorial complexity. By analyzing CdA’s operational and curatorial choices, the paper discusses how digital museums can act as speculative, process-oriented spaces that challenge traditional boundaries between archive and exhibition, physical and virtual, institutional and public. Full article