Managing relationship conflict and the effectiveness of organizational teams

Past research has revealed that team effectiveness and satisfaction suffer when teams experience relationship conflict—conflict related to interpersonal issues, political norms and values, and personal taste. This study examined how teams should respond to these conflicts. Three types of conflict responses were studied: collaborating responses, contending responses, and avoiding responses. A field study involving a heterogeneous sample of teams performing complex, non‐routine task showed that collaborating and contending responses to relationship conflict negatively relate to team functioning (i.e., voice, compliance, helping behavior) and overall team effectiveness, while avoiding responses were associated with high team functioning and effectiveness. It is suggested that collaborating and contending responses to relationship conflict distract team members from their tasks, while avoiding responses appear more functional in that they allow team members to pursue task performance. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metacommunity structure of pond macroinvertebrates: effects of dispersal mode and generation time

A recent challenge in community ecology is to understand under what conditions local and regional processes may be more important in shaping community structure. We investigated the role of dispersal mode and generation time for communities of macroinvertebrates in two sets of connected ponds during three consecutive years. We found no evidence that generation time affected metacommunity structure, possibly because statistical power was limited because the range of generation times present was small. In contrast, we found that the spatial structure of the macroinvertebrate metacommunities differed with dispersal mode in one of two sets of ponds. Passive dispersers showed positive distance-dissimilarity correlations, suggesting mass effects via the pond connections. These correlations did not stretch beyond the first pond downstream suggesting that, in this chain of connected ponds, intervening ponds effectively buffered dispersal. Active dispersers did not show any consistent spatial pattern, possibly because intensive over-land dispersal homogenized the metacommunity. Thus, although pond connections probably equally promoted dispersal of actively and passively dispersing macroinvertebrates, the implications for the structure of their metacommunities may depend on their dispersal mode. We conclude that dispersal mode has the potential to affect the mechanisms that are integral to metacommunity structure.     

Extinction, recolonization, and dispersal through time in a planktonic crustacean

Dormant propagule banks are important reservoirs of biological and genetic diversity of local communities and populations and provide buffering mechanisms against extinction. Although dormant stages of various plant and animal species are known to remain viable for decades and even centuries, little is known about the effective influence of recolonization from such old sources on the genetic continuity of intermittent populations under natural conditions. Using recent and old dormant eggs recovered from a dated lake sediment core in Kenya, we traced the genetic composition of a local population of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia barbata through a sequence of extinction and recolonization events. This was combined with a phylogeographic and population-genetic survey of regional populations. Four successive populations, fully separated in time, inhabited Lake Naivasha from ca. 1330 to 1570 AD, from ca. 1610 to 1720 AD, from ca. 1840 to 1940 AD, and from 1995 to the present (2001 AD). Our results strongly indicate genetic continuity between the 1840-1940 and 1995-2001 populations, which are separated in time by at least 50 years, and close genetic relatedness of them both to the 1330-1580 population. A software tool (Colonize) was developed to find the most likely source population of the refounded 1995-2001 population and to test the number of colonists involved in the recolonization event. The results confirmed that the 1995-2001 population most probably developed out of a limited number of surviving local dormant eggs from the previous population, rather than out of individuals from regional (central and southern Kenya) or more distant (Ethiopia, Zimbabwe) populations that may have immigrated to Lake Naivasha through passive dispersal. These results emphasize the importance of prolonged dormancy for the natural long-term dynamics of crustacean zooplankton in fluctuating environments and suggest an important role of old local dormant egg banks in aquatic habitat restoration.     

Testing sustainability by prospective and retrospective demographic analyses: evaluation for palm leaf harvest.

Harvesting nontimber forest products (NTFPs) is a major economic activity in tropical forests. As many NTFPs are overexploited, sustainability analyses are required to set harvest guidelines. Here we introduce and apply a new approach to evaluating sustainability, which combines prospective (elasticity) and retrospective (Life Table Response Experiments [LTRE]) demographic analyses of matrix population models. We relate the elasticity of vital rates (representing their importance for population growth rate, lamda) to their contribution to harvest-induced change in lamda ("LTRE contribution"). When high-elasticity vital rates have a low LTRE contribution, exploitation is potentially sustainable as negative effects for population growth are buffered. If the reverse is found, there is little scope for sustainability because crucial vital rates are affected. Our approach is less sensitive to chance fluctuations than the commonly used sustainability criterion of lamda = 1.0, as it does not depend on the absolute value of lamda. We applied this analysis to Geonoma deversa, a clustered forest understory palm. We studied three experimentally defoliated and control populations in a Bolivian rainforest during two years. Cutting all leaves of large ramets did not change mortality but strongly affected growth and reproduction. In spite of severe changes in some vital rates, population growth rate was not significantly reduced after defoliation. A literature review revealed that six other understory palms species responded very similarly to defoliation. The combination of LTRE contributions and elasticity analyses showed that low-elasticity vital rates were mainly responsible for the defoliation-induced change in lamda for Geonoma deversa. For two other understory palms (Astrocaryum mexicanum and Chamaedorea radicalis) new demographic analyses yielded very similar results. For Geonoma, the LTRE contribution-elasticity relation strongly changed when we mimicked harvest damage. Adding 5% mortality to defoliated palms caused stronger change in lamda, mainly due to changes in a high-elasticity vital rate (survival). Therefore, harvest practices that involve stem killing are clearly unsustainable. Our results show that commercial leaf cutting in Geonoma deversa is potentially sustainable, and that this is likely the case for understory palms in general. Our approach to evaluating harvest sustainability can be applied to other NTFPs.     

Sociological survey in a municipality with a high level separate collection programme in an area of historic unpopularity

Behaviours, opinions and knowledge of citizens on MSW and separate collection were investigated in the city of Mercato San Severino (about 22,000 people), in the Campania region of Southern Italy that is an area suffering from a serious solid waste emergency that has lasted over 17 years due to the absence of treatment facilities. The image of heaps of rubbish in the streets of Naples and other nearby cities is only one side of the coin. Mercato San Severino has adopted an effective kerbside collection system since 2001 and a pay-as-you-throw program during 2005, guaranteeing more than the minimum level of recycling required by the Italian legislation. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 500 people in 2010. Chi-square tests of independence were applied to state whether the differences were statistically significant (5%). About 90% of the sample stated that the success of the separate collection program was due to either the citizens and local authority or only the local authority, highlighting the leading role of the local authority and confirming that trust is the key to any social program success. The registered level of knowledge was better than that of nearby university students and citizens. The higher the education level, the greater the level of knowledge was.     

Social signals and sustainability: ambiguity about motivations can affect status perceptions of efficiency and curtailment behaviors

Perceived status can affect the diffusion of pro-environmental behaviors and sustainable consumption. However, the status of different forms of sustainable consumption has not been adequately explored. Previous studies suggest that curtailment behaviors are associated with low or neutral status, while efficiency behaviors are associated with high status. However, these studies have generally examined a small number of behaviors. Drawing from costly signaling theory, we developed a mixed methods study to explore whether and why pro-environmental behaviors are perceived to be associated with high or low status, the perceived motivation for those behaviors, and the relationship between motivation and status. We conducted structured, interactive interviews with 71 participants to explore perceptions of 19 behaviors. Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, we find that efficiency is rated higher status than curtailment largely due to monetary considerations. Efficiency is also perceived to be motivated by environmental concern to a greater degree than curtailment. Understanding the motivation for behaviors clarifies the social signal because it provides insights into whether one is incurring personal costs. Importantly, it is often unclear whether low-cost curtailment behaviors are adopted by choice rather than financial need. Ambiguity about the intentionality of behaviors results in such behaviors being perceived as lower status. Those who argue that curtailment will be necessary for long-term sustainability must address status perceptions because social stigmas could hinder their adoption. Overcoming such stigmas may require, indicating that curtailment behaviors are voluntary, but it may be more effective to use social or economic mechanisms to increase efficiency behaviors.     

不同富营养状态下沼蛤的存活与行为特性研究

通过设计不同富营养状态下沼蛤的行为特性的控制实验,探讨了不同富营养状态下沼蛤的生存、运动和粘附特性。研究结果为:(1)富营养状态最优(贫营养)水质不适宜沼蛤的粘附,但是适宜其生存,因此移动距离最短,运动能力最差。轻度富营养水质适宜沼蛤的生存。富营养状态最差(重度富营养)不适宜沼蛤的生存,因此移动距离最远,能生存下来的沼蛤运动能力最强。(2)在不同营养盐浓度下的重度富营养状态水质中,沼蛤适宜在营养盐浓度较低的水体中生存,营养盐浓度越高越不适宜沼蛤生存;营养盐浓度越高越不适宜沼蛤粘附,营养盐浓度相对而言较低的水体适宜沼蛤粘附。(3)在不同藻浓度下的重度富营养水质中,沼蛤适宜在藻浓度较低的水体中生存,藻浓度越高越不适宜沼蛤生存;藻浓度越高越不适宜沼蛤粘附,藻浓度相对而言较低的水体适宜沼蛤粘附;低藻浓度水体相对而言更适宜沼蛤生存,因此移动距离最短,运动能力最差,高藻浓度水体不适宜沼蛤生存,因此移动距离最远,能生存下来的沼蛤运动能力最强。富营养状态是影响沼蛤生长、粘附和运动的关键要素,轻度富营养化状态最适宜沼蛤生长和粘附。水体中营养盐浓度和浮游植物浓度也是影响沼蛤生长、粘附和运动的关键要素,重度富营养化状态中营养盐浓度和浮游植物浓度越低,越适宜适宜沼蛤生长和粘附。     

腐蚀损伤对典型铝合金结构疲劳寿命的影响研究

目的研究严酷服役条件下飞机结构的寿命衰减问题。方法以飞机关键结构模拟件为研究对象,基于编制的某机场环境加速试验谱进行当量加速腐蚀试验,采用MTS810材料试验系统进行预腐蚀后的疲劳试验。结果通过对试验结果的分析,确定了关键结构疲劳寿命腐蚀影响系数与腐蚀损伤尺寸之间的对应关系。结论关键结构腐蚀损伤宽度与疲劳寿命腐蚀影响系数相关性最好。