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This study focuses on culturally endorsed implicit theories of leadership (CLTs). Although cross-cultural research emphasizes that different cultural groups likely have different conceptions of what leadership should entail, a controversial position is argued here: namely that attributes associated with charismatic/transformational leadership will be universally endorsed as contributing to outstanding leadership. This hypothesis was tested in 62 cultures as part of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Program. Universally endorsed leader attributes, as well as attributes that are universally seen as impediments to outstanding leadership and culturally contingent attributes are presented here. The results support the hypothesis that specific aspects of charismatic/transformational leadership are strongly and universally endorsed across cultures.

We studied the impact of production automation on organizational performance in 52 electronics manufacturing firms in Singapore. Four dimensions of organizational performance were identified: operational performance, labor management effectiveness, workers' well-being and remuneration. On the whole, automation was perceived to have resulted in greater improvements in operational performance and worker's well-being than in labor management effectiveness and workers' remuneration. However, there was significant positive correlations among all four dimensions of organizational performance. Moreover, the key determinants that affected the extent of improvement achieved by automation varied among the four dimensions. Implications of the findings for automation management are discussed.

Examines TQM implementation in Star Union, a small manufacturing firm, and offers insights into how its “dynamic equilibrium” system drives the development of its employees and provides the link between corporate quality culture and performance. TQM ideology is diffused through a unique management and employee relations philosophy as well as the adoption of innovative mechanisms. Provides a useful reference for managers attempting to improve organizational effectiveness.

Staff nurses are both care givers and authors of documents in medical records. The author discusses the process and context in which nursing documents are created and how they are actually used in delivering care. Archivists concerned with hospital recordkeeping systems should note that the medical record does not fully reflect nursing activities. A sociological study of nurses' recordkeeping practices suggests that nurses engage in two types of recordkeeping: administrative and clinical. Most documents produced through administrative recordkeeping become part of a patient's medical record, while most clinical recordkeeping documents do not. Nevertheless, it is the latter type of recordkeeping that nurses find most useful in their practice.

Studies on computers in nursing typically observed nurses' perceptions toward computers. This study examined the computer use of 528 nurses in three urban teaching hospitals, and compared nurse managers' with staff nurses' time spent at the computer and systems frequently used for work accomplishment. Differences were found in their experiences with computerized information systems (CISs) and expectations of CIS use. Although there was striking similarity in the systems used, nurse managers had significantly greater access to computers and technical support. Findings suggest the importance of integrating clinical and managerial tasks if unit work is to be accomplished efficiently and effectively.