Revising the HR curriculum: an academic/practitioner partnership

Abstract

In an effort to revise an undergraduate human resource management (HRM) curriculum and improve the relevance of the students’ learning, a collaborative effort between human resource management practitioners and HRM faculty was launched. The result was the design of a project-based, action learning curriculum blending the knowledge acquisition that has historically been the outcome of university classroom training with the application that is so critical to effective functioning in the HRM work world. The paper provides guidance for others planning to improve the relevance of their curricula. The template presented in this paper emphasizes practitioner input, a willingness to adopt creative approaches to student learning, development of specific measurable outcomes, observable demonstrations of the learning of those outcomes and the creation of relevant, appropriate projects. Follow-up comments after one year of experience with the newly revised curriculum are also included.

Abstract

To determine whether training programs produce real benefits for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), we must investigate the relationships between those programs and their effects on the business performance of SMEs. Although a number of previous studies have
attempted to accomplish this task, serious inadequacies, such as inconsistent definitions of training and ``rough’’ methods of training classification and measurement, have raised doubts about the validity of their findings. To remedy these inadequacies and more accurately assess the relationships between training and training effectiveness, this study employs a comprehensive measurement of training including training organization, expenditure , duration, process, and delivery methods. Its findings show that firms with sophisticated training systems and strong management support for training are most successful at maximizing the effectiveness of their training programs.

Abstract

Looks at the nature of workplace learning, stating that there is a concern about the link between it and the classroom. Examines the transition from training to work by means of research carried out among two cohorts of students from a private vocational training college in Australia. Concludes that college-based and workplace training are different which is a challenge that companies need to recognise and accommodate.

Abstract

This paper applies concepts from the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) to the context
of organizational change. A brief history and explanation of type theory and the MBTI is provided. Psychological type is measured using four bipolar scales, each dealing with individual preferences (extroversion-introversion, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judgement-perception). A total of 16 possible type combinations are derived from the results; subsequent arrangement of the type combinations within standard type tables facilitates recognition of patterns. Knowledge related to the four mental functions is specifically linked to organizational change issues, including implications related to both the dominant and inferior functions, and a recommended problem-solving model. Opposite preferences are highlighted as ``gifts differing’’ for their relevance to communication, conflict management, and teambuilding issues. Finally, type concepts are integrated with topics related to organizational change interventions.

Abstract

Attempts to explain the sources of the basic assumption of the socio-economic approach
to management (SEAM): the existence of hidden costs and performance. These are due to the heterogeneity of situations and to the presence of multiple contradictions in these situations. Aims to show how SEAMcan help to both spot these two dimensions and to shed light on the operational difficulties for managers to cope with them.

In search of sustained competitive advantage: the impact of organizational culture, competitive strategy and human resource management practices on firm performance

Abstract

Wedevelop and test a dynamicmodel of co-specialized resources for competitive
advantage. Using matched data from senior executives and human resource managers, we
test the direct and interactive effects of high-performance human resource (HPHR) practices
and organizational culture on firm performance. Although the HPHR practices were not
an important influence on performance, our findings indicate that organizational culture can
be a valuable resource for companies.

The impact of emotion on organizational learning

Abstract

This paper addresses an aspect of organizational learning that has not been extensively developed – the impact of emotion on organizational learning. The study of emotion in organizations is seen as an important part of the development of organizational learning. The paper argues that attention to the emotional dynamics of organizing, and to the links between emotion and organizational politics, will increase the possibilities for understanding organizational learning. Awareness of the impact of emotion on organizational learning can be developed through an investigation of two areas. First, organizational learning is more than a product of organizational responses to individual learning. Emotion contributes to a broader understanding of systemic learning. Second, emotion is important to strategic aspects of organizational learning. There is a link between the emotional and the political within organizations. The paper contains a discussion of these themes using brief case examples to illustrate and develop the issues.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECLINE IN PUBLIC SECTOR PAY IN BRITAIN: A LITTLE BIT OF EVIDENCE

Abstract

Following the fall in overall net public investment, the relative pay of most public sector
workers in the United Kingdom declined sharply after the mid-1970s. For example, the relative
pay of male teachers fell by over 10 percentage points from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. So
has this generated a fall in quality? Using age 10/11 test score percentile positions as an
indicator, we Ænd that men entering non-manual public sector occupations in the early 1990s
had a signiÆcantly lower test score position than those entering in the late 1970s. No such falls
were exhibited by women.

Voluntary employer changes and salary attainment of managers

Abstract

The nature of the relationship between a manager’s voluntary employer changing and salary attainment remains unclear. A possible, but relatively unexplored, reason for past inconsistency of findings may be that the effect of changing employer has not been examined in terms of the frequency of changes. Therefore, this study sought to verify the relationship between frequency of voluntary employer changes and salary attainment of middle managers. The hypothesis that was tested predicted that the relationship would be of inverted-U shape. Data from a survey of MBA degree holders in Taiwan supported the hypothesis, such that salary attainment was highest among managers with a moderate number of employer changes and lower among managers with low or high inter-firm moves. This revises the notion of the boundaryless career by suggesting that the over-utilization of voluntary employer changes may evoke obstacles to
salary attainment.

Empowerment: through the smoke and past the mirrors?

Abstract

This paper offers a ?ve-fold typology for empowerment, which is intended to make it easier to assess and develop empowerment initiatives in a climate where much rhetoric surrounds the term. A real-world organizational sketch for each type follows an initial theoretical description and aphorism. The implications for HRD practitioners of each type of empowerment are also outlined. No exclusive or de?nitional treatment is offered for what we feel to be an elastic term. Instead, the framework is held up as a potential catalyst for provoking ideas about empowerment, or grouping existing ideas on how to empower. We sympathize with those who feel the term is redundant because it has been subsumed by the ‘developmental rhetoric’ (Clutterbuck 1998), and recognize that such rhetoric can be a barrier to change and learning (Harrison 1997). Nonetheless, we argue that, instead of abandoning the term empowerment altogether, it can be bene?cial to see what has been accomplished under the existing banner.

Human resource management for international joint ventures: expatriation and selective control

Abstract

It often can be witnessed that companies as a matter of principle assign expatriates into key joint venture positions. However, that basic attitude may be one of the fundamental reasons for human resource problems. Building on transaction cost economics it can be argued that selective control via functional gatekeepers instead of overall control offers an efficient mechanism to reduce opportunistic behaviour in joint-venture relationships.

THE PERVERSE EFFECTS OF PARTIAL LABOUR MARKET REFORM: FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS IN FRANCE

Abstract

We argue that the effects of a partial reform of employment protection by allowing firms to hire
workers on fixed-term contracts may be perverse. The main effect may be high turnover in
entry-level jobs, leading to higher, not lower, unemployment. Even if unemployment falls,
workers may be worse off, going through many spells of unemployment and entry-level jobs,
before obtaining a regular job. Considering French data for young workers since the early
1980s, we conclude that the reforms have substantially increased turnover, without a substantial
reduction in unemployment duration. If anything, the effect on their welfare appears to have
been negative.

Outsourcing a satisfied and committed workforce: a trucking industry case study

Abstract

In the past decade, thousands of employees have been affected by outsourcing. It is estimated that, in 2001 American companies alone, over $300 billion will be spent on this type of organizational change (Greco, 1997). Despite outsourcing’s high profile, very little has been done to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of the outsourced employees or to determine ways to ease their transition (Kessler et al., 1999, Due, 1992, Khosrowpour et al., 1996, Benson, 1998). Our research analyses employee attitudes and behaviour both before and after outsourcing in the transportation industry. The type of outsourcing studied was one in which current employees in the companies’ fleet operations are taken over by a major trucking firm which is acquiring responsibility for the transportation function. In a survey, eighty truck drivers were questioned about their preand post-acquisition attitudes. Contrary to what managers might predict, a satisfied and involved workforce could prove to be the most difficult to assimilate into the new organizational structure. We conclude with suggestions to management on how to
facilitate the process for outsourced employees.

Job analysis: a strategic human resource management practice

Abstract

This study examined the impact of job analysis on organizational performance among 148 companies based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Gulf-region country. Survey results indicated that a practice of proactive job analysis was strongly related to organizational performance. This relationship was strongest to the extent that companies maintained HR information systems, accorded HR greater involvement in strategic planning and emphasized competency-based characteristics of employees in the job analysis approaches they used. The findings suggest that a company-wide policy of job analysis is an important source of competitive advantage in its own right, and merits due attention of HR professionals, line managers and top management. The study extends the findings of the HR–performance research pursued in Western countries to a non-Western context.

Can Emotional Intelligence be developed?

Abstract

This paper explores approaches to the development of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and to the critical question ‘can EI be developed?’ Technical data on the instruments used to measure EI, the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (EIQ) devised by Dulewicz and Higgs (2000c) and the EQ-i designed by Bar-On (1997), are reported. Findings from three studies involving managers, team leaders and the skippers and crews from a roundthe- world yacht race are presented to explore whether Emotional Intelligence scores change after training and other experiences. A revised model to explain how the elements of Emotional Intelligence are related to each other is presented and tested, and possible explanations of why some elements are more amenable to development actions are proposed.

Continuing professional development in higher education

Abstract

Continuing professional development (CPD) is recognized as a ‘good thing’ by all professionals to ensure that good practice is maintained and that new developments are monitored and assimilated. For those engaged in higher education there is an additional dimension in that CPD has two aspects. One is the subject matter and the second is helping others to learn. The practicalities of developing and using a CPD scheme can prove to be a struggle for both professional bodies and their members, and many CPD schemes seem to have lost sight of the purpose and outcomes of CPD. The aim of this article is to reflect upon the approaches to CPD currently in use and explore the underlying assumptions and issues that need to be considered as part of the debate around CPD schemes. A scheme is currently being prepared for the Institute of Learning and Teaching (ILT) that draws membership from staff in UK higher education. The article concludes by suggesting features to be included in the ILT scheme.

Exploring the impact of role models on older employees

Abstract

The international trend toward organizations emphasizing adaptability and change
throughout careers suggests that research should examine the development of employees into later career stages. Role models have been seen as critical to
individuals’ skill and identity development, but have only been regarded as salient in early career stages and to younger individuals. In this study, we argue that older
employees’ commitment to and satisfaction in their organization will be associated with their perception of available role models. As predicted, the study finds that older employees tended to identify multiple role models in their organization. Moreover, the
study finds that the degree to which older employees perceive that they have role models available and perceive that these role models share similar attitudes, values, and goals is associated with commitment and satisfaction. Implications of these
findings for career researchers and for managers are discussed.

Anticipatory socialisation: the effect of recruitment and selection experiences on career expectations

Abstract

Recruitment and selection experiences are part of a process of pre-entry organisational socialisation, also known as anticipatory socialisation. Graduates are susceptible to such effects as their socialisation through exposure to professional
employers begins during training. Employers’ practices are thought to contribute to the formation of realistic career expectations and the initial psychological contract
between graduates and employers. The present study found that students in traditional
professions reported greater exposure to employers than students in an emerging
profession through work activities, more proactive engagement in recruitment events, and more extensive experience of selection processes at similar stages of study. Greater activity, in turn, was related to career expectations, including varying levels of commitment to and interest in the profession and career clarity.

Employee Value Added: Measuring Discretionary Effort and Its Value to the Organization

Abstract

The intent of this paper is to suggest a method for answering this question: Can we measure the value employees add to the organization? We know they add value- they make the work of the organization happen. But can we determine that value beyond the simple exchange of pay for work? Productivity measures are not sufficient for this purpose because they are so greatly influenced by systems, technology, procedures and other factors beyond the individual employee’s control. What we are after is the “voluntary” or “discretionary” effort made by employees. If this can be captured, it would be one measure of employees’ added value to the work of the organization. In addition, such a measure would enable businesses to assess the
effectiveness of the human resource and management policies and practices which are
intended to produce such effort from employees. We are building upon traditional measures of satisfaction in an attempt to assess behavior that can readily translate into “value” for the organization.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to identify attributive constructs of leadership and look at them from a critical perspective. First we will have a look on the self psychology according to Kohut (1996). Then leader role models created by subordinates are examined in detail. The theoretical basis for this empirical study is provided by attribution theory. Empirical role models for leaders are investigated from the perspective of attribution theory, and the relationships between the perceptions of leaders and subordinates – as well as their effects on satisfaction with leadership styles – are examined. Finally, these results are compared with Kohut's findings in order to establish a psychological basis for the leadership role models recorded here and suggestions for a better arrangement of leader-subordinates relationship within companies will be made.