Disinhibition is a lack of restraint manifesting as tactless, uncivil, and inappropriate behavior; reward omission leadership is the failure of a leader to reward desirable behavior. We hypothesize disinhibition is associated with reward omission leadership. We test this possibility by associating an objective measure of disinhibition and personality models of disinhibition with reward omission leadership. In S1 (N = 166), the go/no-go task and personality models of disinhibition were generally associated with reward omission leadership. In S2 (N = 176), using multi-actor ratings, personality models of disinhibition were generally associated with reward omission leadership. In S3 (N = 91 junior managers; 273 employees), the tested personality model of disinhibition was associated with reward omission leadership using employee ratings from a non-Western organization. Results suggest disinhibition predicts reward omission leadership and sheds light on what is meant by disinhibition.JEL Classification: D23

Wong and Bartlett explain the Fermi paradox by arguing that neither human nor extra-terrestrial civilizations can escape the time window singularity which, they claim, results from the way in which social characteristics of civilizations follow super-linear growth curves of cities. We question if data at the city level necessarily can lead to conclusions at the civilization level. More specifically, we suggest ways in which learnings from research, foresight, diversity and effective future government might act outside of their model to regulate super-linear growth curves of civilizations, and thus substantively increase the likelihood of civilizations progressing towards higher levels of the Kardashev scale. Moreover, we believe their claimed history of the collapse of terrestrial societies used to evidence their model is difficult to justify. Overall, we cast reasonable doubt on the ability of their proposed model to satisfactorily explain the Fermi paradox.

ANZSOG is collaborating with the Queensland Public Service (QPS) and the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on a research project to address system-wide challenges of leadership development, including career transitions and generational transformation in the context of capability planning for the QPS. This interim evidence review compares leadership enablement approaches from across several jurisdictions, as well as gathering insights on QPS’s existing leadership foundations. It found that traditional leadership frameworks, such as the existing QPS framework, tend to outline a ‘one-size fits all’ pathway for leadership and describe a linear set of steps to progress up the leadership ladder. As an alternative, and a precursor for QPS, it presents a well-researched and developed framework (the Wallace 2D framework) which uses a relationship-focused leadership approach to provide better opportunities for all workers in QPS to thrive through progression up the leadership ladder.

Evolutionary models and empirical evidence suggest that outgroup threat is one of the strongest factors inducing group cohesion; however, little is known about the process of forming such cohesive groups. We investigated how outgroup threat galvanizes individuals to affiliate with others to form engaged units that are willing to act on behalf of their in-group. A total of 864 participants from six countries were randomly assigned to an outgroup threat, environmental threat, or no-threat condition. We measured the process of group formation through physical proximity and movement mirroring along with activity toward threat resolution, and found that outgroup threat induced activity and heightened mirroring in males. We also observed higher mirroring and proximity in participants who perceived the outgroup threat as a real danger, albeit the latter results were imprecisely estimated. Together, these findings help understand how sharing subtle behavioral cues influences collaborative aggregation of people under threat.

Background: The way people with psychosis psychologically adapt and manage the diagnosis of such a mental disorder has been considered a key factor that contributes to the emergence and aggravation of emotional problems. These beliefs about illness can be very important due to their possible association with stigma and its implications in terms of loss of roles and social status. Given the importance of these personal beliefs about the specific diagnosis of psychosis, the Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire (PBIQ) and PBIQ-R have been developed. Aims: The present study aims to explore the psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of the PBIQ-R in a sample of patients with a diagnosis of psychosis-related disorders. Method: Participants were 155 patients (54.8% male) of the Public Health Service in Andalusia (Spain). Those who consented to participate filled in the PBIQ-R, the Social Comparison Scale, and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 to measure emotional symptoms. Results: All dimensions showed adequate internal consistency values: Cronbach's alpha extends between .81 and .88; and McDonald's omega ranges between .87 and .92. The temporal reliability for an interval of 3-4 weeks was high. The correlations between the PBIQ-R dimensions and the other variables included in the study were significant and in the expected direction. The factor analysis of the principal components of the PBIQ-R dimensions revealed a single factor in each of the dimensions that explained 64-74%. Conclusions: The results support the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the PBIQ-R.

We investigate the performance efficacy of simple rules under four theoretically anticipated contextual contingencies: environmental uncertainty, technology intensity, firm age, and firm size. Our theorizing is based on the efficiency-flexibility balance that underpins simple rule logic as well as notions from contingency theory. We use a unique survey dataset of 254 US-based executives to test our hypotheses. We find that simple rule usage is broadly beneficial to competitive performance. Counterintuitively, we find that environmental uncertainty does not moderate the simple rule usage – competitive performance relationship. We find that simple rule usage is associated with competitive performance in firms with high technological intensity but does not offer differential benefit based on firm age or size. Post-hoc analysis indicates that managers tend to limit usage of simple rules in uncertain environments (mismatching with performance indications) and promote usage in firms with high technological intensity and large size. Broadly, we contribute to the simple rules literature by highlighting the boundary conditions under which simple rules are effective for competitive performance.

Internationally, from 12.2–23.4% of youth (aged 16–24 years) are not in employment, education or training (NEET). These disengaged youth are more likely to experience social exclusion, increased psychological distress and poor quality of life. Youth at risk of disengagement are less likely to access traditional support services, requiring development of innovative interventions. The trial is a single blind, three arm, randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a telephone delivered psychological intervention for disengaged youth (12–25 years). Participants will be randomised to receive either (i) SWEL, (ii) Befriending, or (iii) Single Session Psycho-Education. Therapy will be over an 8 week period with a minimum of four and maximum of eight sessions for the SWEL or Befriending conditions, or a single session for the Psycho-Education condition. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 2, 8 and 14-month follow-up with the primary outcome being re-engagement in education, training or employment. This large, multi-site, randomised controlled trial will inform the delivery of services for young people at risk of disengaging from education or training. The provision of psychological therapy by telephone increases access by youth – especially those in rural and remote areas - both to the trial and the treatment, if adopted by services. The outcomes of this trial could have meaningful societal impact for a vulnerable population. It is expected that recruitment, intervention and retention will present challenges for the trial given the focus on disengaged youth. ANZCTR, ACTRN12614001212640 , Registered 18 Nov 2014. Retrospectively registered. Ethics approval has been obtained from the participating institutions. Results of the trial will be submitted for publication in peer reviewed journals and findings presented at scientific conferences and to key service providers and policy makers.