Paulo Renato Lourenço

Assessment of markers of bone formation under controlled environmental factors and their correlation with serum minerals in adult sheep as a model for orthopaedic research

Summary Eighteen healthy skeletally mature (3 years old) ewes, with an average weight of 45 kg, of the Portuguese Churra da Terra Quente breed were used to evaluate the normal values of total and bone-specific isoform of alkaline phosphatase serum activities (ALP and BALP, respectively) and serum osteocalcin (OC) and their correlation with the serum minerals - calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg) and ionized calcium (Ca2+). The sheep were maintained under controlled environmental conditions (constant diurnal photoperiod cycle and identical husbandry and feeding) for six weeks before the collection of the blood samples. The measurement of the total ALP and serum minerals was performed with automated biochemistry analysers using the BioMérieux® kits, the serum electrolyte Ca2+ Diametrics Medical, Inc® specific cassettes and the BALP and OC METRATM kits from QUIDEL® Corporation. The mean ± standard deviation values obtained were: total ALP 90.17 ± 85.72 U/L, BALP 15.0 ± 5.44 U/L, ratio BALP/ total ALP 29.28 ± 24.22, OC 13.02 ± 1.87 ng/mL, Ca 2.57 ± 0.37 mmol/L, P 2.13 ± 0.42 mmol/L, Mg 1.04 ± 0.13 mmol/L, Ca2+ 1.29 ± 0.04 mmol/L. Significant correlations were observed between the total ALP and Ca (r = 0.5939; P = 0.05) and OC and Ca (r = 0.5706; P = 0.05). Reference to the serum values of bone turnover parameters in sheep could be of great value in research and could provide complementary non-invasive information on the bone healing process, particularly with regard to obtaining an early prognosis of fracture healing.

The effects on team emotions and team effectiveness of coaching in interprofessional health and social care teams

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of coaching behaviours provided by peers and by the leader on the emotions experienced by interprofessional health and social care teams and on members’ satisfaction with the team, as well as on team performance. Data were obtained from a survey among 344 employees working in 52 interprofessional health and social care teams from nine Portuguese organizations. The results show that leader coaching and peer coaching have a positive effect on the level of team members’ satisfaction with the team and on positive emotions, and a negative effect on negative emotions. Furthermore, coaching provided by peers presents a positive effect on team performance as assessed by the leader of the team. Our findings put forward the importance of engaging in coaching behaviours to promote quality of the team experience, as well as the achievement of team performance objectives. Further studies should explore how coaching behaviours impact the patient, whose well-being is the ultimate objective of a team in the health and social care system, namely in terms of the patient’s perception of quality care or patient outcomes.

Fracture Characterization of Human Cortical Bone Under Mode I Loading

A miniaturized version of the double cantilever beam (DCB) test is used to determine the fracture energy in human cortical bone under pure mode I loading. An equivalent crack length based data-reduction scheme is used with remarkable advantages relative to classical methods. Digital image correlation (DIC) technique is employed to determine crack opening displacement at the crack tip being correlated with the evolution of fracture energy. A method is presented to obtain the cohesive law (trapezoidal bilinear softening) mimicking the mechanical behavior observed in bone. Cohesive zone modeling (CZM) (finite-element method) was performed to validate the procedure showing excellent agreement.

A Nonlinear Multicriteria Model for Team Effectiveness

The study of team effectiveness has received significant attention in recent years. Team effectiveness is an important subject since teams play an increasingly decisive role on modern organizations. This study is inherently a multicriteria problem as different criteria are typically required to assess team effectiveness. Among the different aspects of interest on the study of team effectiveness one of the utmost importance is to acknowledge, as accurately as possible, the relationships that team resources and team processes establish with team effectiveness. Typically, these relationships are studied using linear models which fail to explain the complexity inherent to group phenomena. In this study we propose a novel approach using radial basis functions to construct a multicriteria nonlinear model to more accurately capture the relationships between the team resources/processes and team effectiveness. By combining principal component analysis, radial basis functions interpolation, and cross-validation for model parameter tuning, we obtained a data fitting method that generated an approximate response with reliable trend predictions between the given data points.

The “we” and the “others” in an interprofessional surgical context: Findings from a Portuguese study

The social identity of an individual is defined by the recognition they make which belongs to a particular group (Tajfel, 1984). In this sense, will doctors and nurses, when together in the surgical team, recognize themselves as its members, thus leaving the background identities associated with their own professions? Using social identity theory of Tajfel (1984), this study explored the extent that profession-specific identity, present in the surgical team, acting as a barrier to a shared team identity. A case study design was adopted, and structured interviews were gathered from 20 clinicians based in a surgical unit in a single Portuguese hospital. The results indicated that the profession-specific identifies acted as a barrier to the surgical team identity as the participants defined themselves as its members of their profession, and not as surgical team members. Therefore, based on the results of this small study, there is a tendency of surgical clinicians to maintain the distinction between “us” (their own profession) and “others” (the other individuals in the surgical team).

Learning conditions, members’ motivation and satisfaction: a multilevel analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to contribute to the clarification of the conditions under which teams can be successful, especially those related to team learning. To attain this goal, in the present study, the mediating role played by team members’ motivation on the relationship between team learning conditions (shared learning beliefs and team learning support) and members’ satisfaction with the team was analysed. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study with a multilevel design was carried out. Data concerning learning conditions, motivation and satisfaction were obtained from a survey among 398 employees working in 71 teams that perform complex tasks from 24 companies. A multilevel analysis was conducted. Findings – Overall, the results showed that both team learning conditions – shared learning beliefs and team learning support – had a significant positive effect on members’ satisfaction, which was mediated by members’ motivation. Originality/value – The proliferation of groups in th...

A Cusp Catastrophe Model for Satisfaction, Conflict, and Conflict Management in Teams

Teams are now a structural feature in organizations, and conflict, which is recognized as an inescapable phenomenon in the team context, has become an area of increased research interest. While the literature shows contradictory results regarding the impact of conflicts on teams, the strategies used to manage them have shown that can help to explain the differentiated effects of conflict situations. Adopting a nonlinear dynamic system perspective, this research tests a cusp catastrophe model for explaining team members’ satisfaction, considering the roles of conflict and of conflict management. In this model, the conflict type is the asymmetry variable and conflict-handling strategies are the bifurcation variables. The sample is composed of 44 project teams, and data was collected at two points (half-way through and at the end of the project). The presence of a cusp catastrophe structure in the data was tested through both the dynamic difference equation modeling approach, which implements the least squares regression technique, and the indirect method, which uses the maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters. The results suggest that the cusp model is superior to the linear model when the bifurcation variables are passive strategies, while less clear results were found when active strategies are considered. Thus, the findings show a tendency for a nonlinear effect of passive strategies on members’ satisfaction. Accordingly, this study contributes to the literature by presenting passive conflict-handling strategies in a bifurcation role, which suggests that beyond a certain threshold of the use of these kind of strategies, teams might oscillate between two attractors.

Bouncing Back from Setbacks: On the Mediating Role of Team Resilience in the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Team Effectiveness

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of team resilience on different facets of effectiveness (team viability and quality of the group experience). Moreover, given the importance of team resilience for the organizational context, it was also our aim to contribute to the study of the conditions that promote team resilience, analyzing the role of transformational leadership. Finally, we examined whether the relationship between transformational leadership and team resilience stimulates positive team outcomes. Ninety teams (445 employees from 40 companies) were surveyed and path analysis was used in the test of the hypotheses. The results showed a positive direct effect of team resilience on both team viability and the quality of the group experience. Moreover, a positive relationship was also identified between transformational leadership and team resilience. Finally, support was found for the mediated effect of team resilience on the relationship between transformational leadership and the dimensions of team effectiveness considered. The findings of this study highlight the role of team resilience as an intervening process between transformational leadership and team effectiveness. Supervisors should promote team resilience, adopting transformational leadership behaviors, in order to contribute to increase team viability and the quality of the group experience.

Generating team PsyCap through transformational leadership

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to contribute to a deeper understanding of the effects of transformational leadership on team performance, examining the role of team psychological capital (team PsyCap) and team learning behaviours as intervening mechanisms in that relationship. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study with a cross-sectional design was conducted. The sample was composed of 82 teams from 57 Portuguese companies. Hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling. Findings Results revealed that transformational leadership is positively related to team PsyCap, which, in turn, is positively related to team learning behaviours. Moreover, the study’s findings supported the indirect influence of transformational leadership on team performance, through the role played by team PsyCap and team learning behaviours. Originality/value This is the first study that considers the mediating role of team PsyCap and team learning behaviours in the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance. In this manner, the present research contributes to the body of research on leadership, highlighting the way through which leadership might translate into team performance. Moreover, it contributes also to the positive organisational behaviour literature, identifying both antecedents and consequents of team PsyCap. The study’s findings encourage organisations to develop ways of reinforcing transformational leadership behaviours and psychological capital among teams.

Team Development: Definition, Measurement and Relationships with Team Effectiveness

ABSTRACT This article describes the development and validation of a theory-based measure of team development. Drawing on 3 independent samples, including multisource and 2-wave data, we found support for the scale’s theoretical multidimensionality. Convergent and discriminant validity was established, and criterion-related validity was determined through the scale’s relation with 3 facets of team effectiveness: viability, extrarole performance, and reputation. We conclude that the 29-item measure is valid and reliable for the assessment of team development. Theoretically, we shed light on the dimensionality of team development and extend the available knowledge on its nomological network. Practical implications for enhancing team effectiveness via team development are discussed.