Browsing by Author "Wilson S"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Anxious academics: Talking back to the audit culture through collegial, critical and creative autoethnography
    (Taylor & Francis, 15/03/2018) Ruth DW; Wilson S; Alakavuklar O; Dickson A
    Our New Zealand university recently required us to produce portfolios for a research evaluation process. At a presentation promoting and explaining the process we raised questions and objections. Pointlessly, it seemed. But we continued to rail and rant about it. One of us set in motion the following discussion, presented here as a series of critical and creative autoethnographic responses. We have resisted, with some anxiety, the urge and the expectation to theorise our experiences or to situate them within 'the literature'. Our proposition is that 'giving voice' in the manner in which we have done so is an affective means of 'talking back' against neoliberal regimes of performativity which may also be effective as a form of localised resistance, strengthening our ability to cope with the anxiety such regimes provoke. We hope our efforts encourage others to develop critical, creative and collegial responses to academic audit regimes.
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    ‘Everything everywhere all at once’: Paradigm shifts, the dynamics of agency, and the January 6th assault on the US capitol
    (SAGE Publications, 2024-09-26) Wilson S; Chace S
    To unpack the underlying causes of the events of January 6th, 2021, by supporters of outgoing President Trump, this essay pursues two lines of inquiry. Firstly, drawing on insights from Kuhn and Bion into, respectively, paradigm shifts and group dynamics, we argue support for Trump’s promise to ‘make American great again’ is rooted in anxiety triggered by various disruptive changes facing Americans. Followers alleviate this by becoming dependent upon Trump, thereby affording him undue influence. January 6th itself, we argue, was a paradigm shifting event, constituting a shattering betrayal of a sitting President’s fundamental duty to uphold the Constitution and keep the country safe from harm. Secondly, we examine the MAGA worldview, drawing on social identity theory, its offshoot regarding leadership, and notions of agency. We highlight its deleterious effects on how Trump and his followers exercised their agency and, simultaneously, how it legitimated Trump’s reckless betrayal of his responsibilities. Through our analysis of these underlying causes, we conclude that January 6th was no mere aberration in terms of what Trump and his supporters are capable of doing. Rather we contend the same forces animating what happened that day remain a clear and present danger to democracy in America.
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    Reality vs expectations: An exploratory study of New Zealand nurses' perceptions of HR measures
    (13/03/2018) Tretiakov A; Hunter I; Tootell B; Wilson S; Toulson P
    When nurses believe that human resources (HR) measures used to record data describing their work are inappropriate, it may result in low engagement in the measurement process and in higher on-the-job stress, and it may be indicative of problems in the HR system. The purpose of the present study is to explore nurses' views on which HR measures are most appropriate for use in the healthcare sector and their perceptions of the current practice at their organisations. A cross-sectional survey of registered nurses in New Zealand was conducted, resulting in N=916. The respondents rated commonly used HR measures for importance and indicated whether they are used in their organisations. The data were analysed by using graphical representations of descriptive statistics to identify patterns in the relationship between perceived importance and perceived use of HR measures. Patient satisfaction and nurses' competencies measures were seen as both highly important and in use. However, a group of measures related to nurses' job satisfaction and empowerment stood out as, from nurses' perspectives, highly important but relatively unused. The results suggest that in healthcare organisations in New Zealand there is a divergence between nurses' ideas about the best HR measurement practice and their perceptions of the current practice. We argue that to address the underlying causes of the divergence and to mitigate its negative effects, healthcare organisations should involve nurses in making decisions regarding the use of HR measures.
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