The reciprocal dynamics of organizing and sense‐making in the implementation of major public‐sector reforms

Abstract: Drawing on a longitudinal study from the early years of implementation of health‐care networks in Quebec, this article describes how public‐sector managers deal with complex challenges when both organizational structures and organizational strategies are radically transformed simultaneously. The new organizations studied had to completely re‐shuffle roles and responsibilities of their management teams while making sense of their new mandate of developing a population‐focused approach to health problems – all the time maintaining day‐to‐day operations. The four health‐care networks studied proceeded somewhat differently to meet these reciprocal challenges. The study reveals the importance of balancing organizing initiatives (focused on structures) with “sense‐making” initiatives (focused on strategies), of developing capacities for sense‐making through the creation of key “sense‐maker/sense‐giver” positions whose occupants are able to ensure that conceptual activities engage people working at different levels, even as organizational structures are in flux, and of mobilizing external constraints and influences as opportunities and resources in sense‐making and organizing. Sommaire : Se fondant sur une étude longitudinale des premières années de la mise en œuvre des réseaux de soins de santé au Québec, cet article décrit la manière dont les gestionnaires du secteur public font face à des défis complexes, alors que les structures et les stratégies organisationnelles sont radicalement transformées simultanément. Les nouveaux organismes étudiés ont dû complètement remanier les rôles et les responsabilités de leurs équipes de gestion et comprendre leur nouveau mandat d'élaborer une approche axée sur la population pour ce qui est des problèmes de santé, tout en maintenant leurs activités au jour le jour. Les quatre réseaux de soins de santéétudiés ont travailléà relever ces défis réciproques d'une manière assez différente. L'étude révèle l'importance de trouver un équilibre entre les initiatives consistant à organiser (axées sur les structures) et les initiatives consistant à interpréter les faits (axées sur les stratégies) ; de perfectionner les capacités à interpréter les faits grâce à la création de postes clés d'«interpréteurs de faits», dont les titulaires veilleraient à ce que des activités conceptuelles fassent intervenir les gens travaillant à différents niveaux même lorsque les structures organisationnelles fluctuent continuellement; et enfin de tirer parti des contraintes et influences externes comme autant d'occasions et de ressources pour interpréter et organiser les faits.     

“SMART” Photovoice agricultural consultation: increasing Rwandan women farmers' active participation in development

Through two case studies, this paper evaluates the value of the feminist visual methodology Photovoice as an interactive consultation tool with rural Rwandan women working in agriculture. This exploratory study suggests that it is possible, through an adapted Photovoice process, to engage and empower women in the production of information about what is most relevant to them, and reach and engage practitioners and officials through an exhibition of participants' photographs and captions. This confirmation of Photovoice's applicability with rural women in the generation of information that captures the attention of stakeholders demonstrates its potential for reproducibility in other development contexts.

Consultation agricole Photovoice « SMART » : accroître la participation active des agricultrices rwandaises au développement

À travers deux études de cas, cet article évalue la valeur de la méthodologie visuelle féministe Photovoice comme outil interactif de consultation avec des rwandaises rurales travaillant dans l'agriculture. Cette étude exploratoire suggère que cette utilisation est possible, à travers un processus Photovoice adapté, afin de mobiliser et d'autonomiser les femmes dans la production d'informations sur ce qui est le plus pertinent pour elles, et de toucher et de mobiliser les praticiens et les fonctionnaires en leur présentant une exposition des photos et des textes explicatifs créés par les participantes. Cette confirmation de l'applicabilité de Photovoice parmi des femmes rurales en vue de générer des informations qui attirent l'attention des parties prenantes démontre le potentiel que présente cette méthodologie d’être reproduite dans d'autres contextes de développement.

Consultas agrícolas por Photovoice “smart”: aumentando la participación activa de campesinas ruandesas en el desarrollo

Apoyándose en dos estudios de caso, el presente artículo evalúa la metodología visual feminista Photovoice como método de consulta interactiva a mujeres campesinas ruandesas que trabajan en la agricultura. Este estudio exploratorio revela la posibilidad de involucrar y de empoderar a las mujeres, a través de un proceso de Photovoice adaptado, destinado a producir información en torno a aquello que resulta más relevante para ellas; asimismo, dicho proceso permite involucrar a los operadores y a los funcionarios mostrándoles las fotografías de las participantes con sus correspondientes pies de foto. Una vez confirmado el valor de utilizar Photovoice para generar información entre mujeres campesinas, capturando, además, la atención de los actores principales, queda demostrado el potencial que tiene su replicación en otros contextos de desarrollo.

Consulta agrícola através da metodologia Photovoice “SMART”: aumentando a participação ativa de mulheres produtoras rurais de Ruanda no desenvolvimento

Através de dois estudos de caso, este artigo avalia a metodologia visual feminista Photovoice enquanto ferramenta de consulta interativa com mulheres ruandesas rurais que trabalham na agricultura. Este estudo investigativo sugere que é possível, através do processo Photovoice adaptado, engajar e empoderar as mulheres na produção de informações sobre o que é mais relevante para elas, e ter acesso e engajar profissionais e funcionários através da exposição de fotos de participantes e legendas. Essa confirmação da aplicabilidade do Photovoice com mulheres de áreas rurais na geração de informações que capturem a atenção de stakeholders demonstra seu potencial para a reprodução em outros contextos de desenvolvimento.     

The changing landscape of International Intellectual Property

Legal context This paper explains the changing landscape ofinternational intellectual property. Since the Uruguay Roundnegotiations that led to the TRIPs Agreement, developing countriesand certain groups within industrialised nations have arguedthat the rules needed reform. Economic arguments based on theneed to enhance global welfare are used to justify their demands.Examples of the results they obtained in the last 24 monthsinclude the 2003 WTO Declaration on TRIPs and Public Healthand WIPO's Development Agenda. Key points This paper puts this change of landscape in perspective,explains its foundations and looks at the more important recenteconomic surveys and outlines their main conclusions. It alsodiscusses recent efforts in international organisations andacademic circles to consider intellectual property as part ofa broader picture and the need for countries to develop a morecomprehensive innovation strategy. Practical significance The article will be useful for anyonefollowing developments in multilateral intellectual propertynorm-setting by providing a deeper understanding of the issuesand new levels of discussion.     

The More You Say the Less It Means: Overreporting and Attenuated Criterion Validity in a Forensic Disability Sample

A recent publication in Psychological Bulletin by McGrath et al. (Psychological Bulletin 136:450–470, 2010) challenged the necessity of response bias indicators in applied psychological assessment on the grounds that there is insufficient empirical support that shows that they are able to moderate the prediction of substantive measures. The current study challenges their conclusions by examining the effects of response bias in a sample of 2,275 disability litigants. We utilized the validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath and Tellegen, 2008) in order to establish a group of litigants who did not exhibit evidence of overreporting and compared them to a group of overreporting litigants. The overreporting group scored significantly higher on every Restructured Clinical Scale. Moreover, we compared the criterion validity between various substantive scales on the MMPI-2-RF and extratest measures [e.g., Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996)] and found evidence of significantly attenuated criterion validity in the overreporting group. Implications of the study in light of the review by McGrath and colleagues are discussed.