			Home About us Contact

Decision-making Practices (decision-making + practice)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	33%

Selected Abstracts

Explicating Benner's concept of expert practice: intuition in emergency nursing

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 4 2008
Joy Lyneham
Abstract Title.,Explicating Benner's concept of expert practice: intuition in emergency nursing. Aim., This paper is a report of a study exploring the experience of intuition in emergency nursing in relation to Benner's fifth stage of practice development, ,the expert practitioner.' Background., Expert nurses anecdotally report actions and thoughts that present in their consciousness and have an impact on the care given. Benner used the term ,intuition' for the fifth stage of practice development. However, Paley has criticized Benner's model for its lack of clarity about the nature of an expert practitioner. This criticism is further justified by Benner's inadequate explanation of expert. Method., A hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted using van Manen's approach and a Gadamerian analysis. Fourteen expert emergency nurses in Australia were interviewed between January 2000 and December 2003. Findings., The analysis resulted in the reconstruction of Benner's expert stage into three distinct phases: cognitive intuition, where assessment is processed subconsciously and can be rationalized in hindsight; transitional intuition, where a physical sensation and other behaviours enter the nurse's awareness; and embodied intuition, when the nurse trusts the intuitive thoughts. Conclusion., The findings validate the use of intuitive decision-making as a construct in explaining expert clinical decision-making practices. The validity of intuitive practice should be recognized. It is essential to recognize the conditions that support practice development, and in the prenovice stage (during their university course) factors such as reflection, research (in its broadest sense) and clinical curiosity should be fostered. [source]

Beyond the Courtroom Workgroup: Caseworkers as the New Satellite of Social Control

LAW & POLICY, Issue 4 2009
URSULA CASTELLANO
Many jurisdictions nationwide are faced with overcrowded jails, backlogged court dockets, and high rates of recidivism for mostly nonviolent offenders. To address these complex problems, law enforcement officials have institutionalized alternatives to incarceration programs, including work furloughs, electronic monitoring, and treatment courts. These recent trends in legal reform are designed to reduce and prevent criminal behavior by helping to reintegrate defendants back into their local communities. One aspect that has been largely unaddressed in prior research is that jail-alternative programs are primarily staffed by caseworkers with outside nonprofit agencies. This important group of nonlegal actors plays a pivotal role in crafting decisions to divert low-level offenders from the criminal justice system; few studies, however, explore the organizational contexts surrounding caseworkers' everyday decision-making practices. In response, I draw upon ethnographic data to analyze the ways that pretrial release caseworkers in a California county evaluate defendants' entitlement to release on their own recognizance. The results of this study suggest that caseworkers exercise discretion beyond the traditional power structure of the courtroom workgroup. I conclude that caseworkers emerge as the new satellite of social control in contemporary courts. [source]

Systematic biases and culture in project failures

PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008
Barry Shore
Abstract Project success rates have improved, and much of the credit can be given to the knowledge, practices, and standards that have contributed to the professionalization of the field. Unfortunately, too many failures still occur. Because many of them can be traced to management and decision-making practices, it might be useful at this stage to explore a set of systematic biases to determine if understanding them can help diagnose and perhaps even prevent failures from occurring. This article begins with a framework identifying the influences on project outcomes, defines the systematic biases that may derail projects, summarizes eight project failures, uses the framework to diagnose those failures, and concludes by suggesting how organizational and project culture may contribute to these very common and natural biases. [source]

Grade retention: Current decision-making practices and involvement of school psychologists working in public schools

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 5 2009
Britton L. Schnurr
Research examining student outcomes (e.g., achievement, adjustment) after grade retention reveals that it does not result in long-term improvements for students; however, grade retention continues to be used as an intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine retention decision-making practices, as well as school psychologists' knowledge, beliefs, and opinions regarding retention. Actual and ideal roles of school psychologists in grade retention decisions were also examined. Participants included 250 school psychologists randomly selected from the membership of the National Association of School Psychologists. Results revealed that the decision to retain is a subjective one, typically made by a team. Responding school psychologists did not support retention and found the research moderately applicable to practice. However, most school psychologists indicated that they were not centrally involved in decision making. Findings also revealed a desire among school psychologists for increased involvement in developing and/or implementing programs aimed at improving performance and consulting on the effects of retention. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Perspective: The Stage-Gate® Idea-to-Launch Process,Update, What's New, and NexGen Systems,

THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
Robert G. Cooper
Stage-Gate has become a popular system for driving new products to market, and the benefits of using such a robust idea-to-launch system have been well documented. However, there are many misconceptions and challenges in using Stage-Gate. First, Stage-Gate is briefly outlined, noting how the system should work and the structure of both stages and gates. Next, some of the misconceptions about Stage-Gate,it is not a linear process, nor is it a rigid system,are debunked, and explanations of what Stage-Gate is and is not are provided. The challenges faced in employing Stage-Gate are identified, including governance issues, overbureaucratizing the process, and misapplying cost-cutting systems such as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing to product innovation. Solutions are offered, including better governance methods such as "gates with teeth," clearly defined gatekeepers, and gatekeeper rules of engagement, as well as ways to deal with bureaucracy, including leaner gates. Next-generation versions of Stage-Gate are introduced, notably a scalable system (to handle many different types and sizes of projects), as well as even more flexible and adaptable versions of Stage-Gate achieved via spiral development and simultaneous execution. Additionally, Stage-Gate now incorporates better decision-making practices including scorecards, success criteria, self-managed gates, electronic and virtual gates, and integration with portfolio management. Improved accountability and continuous improvement are now built into Stage-Gate via a rigorous postlaunch review. Finally, progressive companies are reinventing Stage-Gate for use with "open innovation," whereas others are applying the principles of value stream analysis to yield a leaner version of Stage-Gate. [source]