The Whole is Greater: Reflective Practice,Human Development and Fields of Consciousness and Collaborative Creativity

Because Western experiments assume creativity is an individual phenomenon and rarely investigate how trust and openness might build collective resonance, flow, and creativity, the creative whole typically amounts to less than the sum of the parts. The author argues, however, that group creativity increases as members develop, especially through Wilber's (in press) transpersonal stages. He illustrates how organizational leaders have facilitated creativity through reflective practice. Presenting evidence regarding the field effects of collective consciousness, he suggests that our minds and hearts interact in subtle yet powerful ways, which leaders can intuit, to support the emergence of collaborative creativity.     

Application of Cognitive Load Theory to Develop a Measure of Team Cognitive Efficiency

Improving human systems integration through technologically advanced training and performance aids has become increasingly important to military transformation. Measures of improved cognitive and coordination processes arising from the employment of transformational tools are necessary to guide the refinement and future development of such technologies. In this article, we describe a cognitive load theory approach to developing a combinatory measure of individual workload and team performance following an experimental intervention involving training and a decision support system. We discuss how indicators of what we term team cognitive efficiency can improve assessing the effectiveness of transformational processes and technologies.     

Review of Evnine,Simon J., Epistemic Dimensions of Personhood,New York: Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. viii + 176, £32.50 (cloth)

The different occurrences of a word in a sentence cannot be identified with the one word type, nor with its many tokens. What then are occurrences of a word? How can one type occur more than once in another type? Is the conception of ‘structural universals’ that leads to these questions incoherent, as Lewis maintained? I argue against the answer Wetzel suggested, which identifies sentences with functions from numbers to expressions, and propose instead that occurrences of one type in another are subtypes with different relative positions in the whole. Types have subtypes as well as tokens. Occurrences in non-symmetrical types like sequences are individuated by their relative positions in the type. Occurrences in a symmetrical whole have different positions but stand in the same relations to the other components. They are numerically different subtypes that do not differ from each other qualitatively.     

Content analysis of food advertising strategies and ethical implications on South African television

The study aimed to investigate strategies and ethical implications of food advertising in South African television. The sample included 343 food advertisements recorded over two weeks and 224 hours from two major South African TV channels. Results indicate 45 products of food advertisements. Fast food, restaurant and convenience food type had the highest number of products (17), followed by “beverage, drink and juice” (6), and “candy and sweets” group (6). Conceptual consumption (people are as interested in consuming ideas, information, and concepts as they are physically consuming things) was used as the main strategy (76.2%) for advertising food, while only 7% focused on physical consumption (fiber, energy and vitality). The majority of food advertisement used human models (78.5%), adults only (38%) and about half used both sexes. White models were used twice as often as Black models. Other advertisement strategies included claims to having fun (majority), being perceived of a higher status, acquiring a superior of products and adding social worth to the quality of person who consume the products. A few claims related to the physical benefit to the consumer, such as high fibre, whole grain, and weight loss.     

Sacrifice and At-one-ment: Joseph de Maistre and Cudworth's Types and Shadows Admired

This article pursues the perhaps surprising interest of the Savoyard polemicist and counter-revolutionary philosopher Joseph de Maistre for the early work of the Cambridge Platonist Ralph Cudworth. I argue that their shared Platonism and fascination for the imagery of the Temple of the Hebrews helps explain this unlikely alliance. I refer to the innovative work of Margaret Barker on Temple imagery in Christian theology to elucidate the biblical dimension of the theory of correspondences employed by both men.     

Perspectives on the New Orleans Saints as a Vehicle for the Installation of Hope,Post Katrina

Abstract

The author discusses the effectiveness of popular culture as a tool for the instillation of hope within a community, using as an example the ways in which a National Football League team galvanized the residents of New Orleans in the 18 months following Hurricane Katrina. This article posits that the Saints supplied an impetus for transcendence and healing both individually and communally.     

Fostering innovation in functionally diverse teams: The two faces of transformational leadership

Empirical research on the effects of functional diversity on team innovation has yielded largely inconsistent results, showing positive, negative, as well as nonsignificant effects. For capitalizing on the positive potential inherent in functionally diverse teams, opening the black box between cross-functionality and team innovation by analysing mediating and moderating processes thus seems to be highly relevant. In this article, task and relationship conflicts are introduced as mediators of functional diversity and team innovation. Within this framework, transformational leadership is discussed as a moderator. It will become apparent that the role of transformational leadership in fostering the innovativeness of cross-functional teams is rather ambiguous. The discussed mediators and the moderator transformational leadership are integrated into a comprehensive framework and propositions for future research are derived.     

Book Review

Experienced military air traffic controllers (25 respondents, males = 15, females = 10, years of experience = less than one year = 5 respondents, more than one year but less than three years = 11 respondents and more than three years = 9 respondents) participated in this study to determine whether self-directed team learning exists within their air traffic control teams and to understand the impact of self-directed team learning on the air traffic control work environment. Data on self-directed team learning and learning approaches were collected using a Self-directed Team Learning Questionnaire (SDTLQ) and a Learning Approaches Questionnaire (LAQ). These data were analysed using an inductive reasoning mode for qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis followed a supporting deductive reasoning mode. Triangulation as a technique was used to determine whether multiple sources of data agreed and to obtain better, cross-checked insights (Burgess, 1985). Results revealed that these air traffic controllers and air traffic control teams investigated in the study do indeed function within self-directed working, training and learning environments. The quality of team performance was influenced by self-directed team learning initiatives. Furthermore, the quality of self-directed team learning relied upon the effectiveness of air traffic control team performances.     

Dispositional resistance to change and emotional exhaustion: moderating effects at the work-unit level

Organizational change, although essential for business success, may negatively impact employees’ well-being. Based on person–environment fit theory, the authors investigate employees’ dispositional resistance to change as it impacts emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, the authors examine boundary conditions that may affect dispositional resistance to change and its influence on emotional exhaustion. They take a trait activation approach and test the moderating roles of two work-unit-level internal contextual factors: perceived organizational support and informational team climate. Using a longitudinal research design of 709 participants in 30 work units, multilevel analyses reveal that dispositional resistance to change (time 1) is positively related to emotional exhaustion (time 2). Moreover, a lack of perceived organizational support and a high informational team climate strengthen these effects. The authors conclude that organizations should offer coaching and training programmes to cope with organizational change for employees who are highly change resistant. Furthermore, personal and organizational development strategies should consider the insights gained from the study regarding internal contextual factors that moderate change management processes.     

道不同不相为谋? 信息相关断裂带对团队学习的影响

传统观点认为,存在断裂带的团队中成员学习行为会受到不利影响,即"道不同不相为谋"。本研究通过聚焦信息相关断裂带,全面剖析内部学习和外部学习等不同团队学习方式,深入考察影响断裂带团队学习的关键情境因素,探讨并论证本文的基本观点——"道不同",可以"相为谋"。基于56个实际工作团队配对样本数据的统计分析结果表明,信息相关断裂带对团队内部学习和外部学习都没有直接作用。团队共同任期和交互记忆系统对信息相关断裂带团队内外部学习起调节作用:团队共同任期越长,信息相关断裂带越有利于团队内部学习及外部学习;交互记忆系统水平越高,信息相关断裂带越有利于团队内部学习及外部学习。