Search results

Attempts to show the underlying layers of contradictions and tensions beneath the illusions of harmony that have been socially constructed. Shows how organisation members may not be cognisant of the repressive structure that they themselves help to build and looks at how this structure is held together through hegemonic story‐telling. Reveals that while a strong sense of cohesiveness and group identify is often applauded as humanising, domination and control can be exercised through this process of identity development and that a common out‐group “enemy” can be adopted to divert attention away from the anxieties and tension of the current state.

In keeping with the trend to make institutional information available electronically, the University of Ottawa has inaugurated UOINFO – a campus‐wide information system (CWIS). The system makes available to staff, students and the general public information on the university, its facilities and services, and gives access to the library information system and many other documents of interest to potential users. Other information, including course descriptions, registration procedures, and class schedules, will be available at a later date.

The issue of union recruitment strategies remains complex and contentious in the present harsh politico‐economic climate. Any assessment of recruitment potential is linked to some view of the condition of the trade union movement and the attractiveness of its policies and methods to those outside its ranks whom it seeks to recruit. Within this context, arguments have raged over three core themes: the extent to which unions should be biased towards offering services to members, or act as ‘militant’ wage bargainers; the relative efficacy of competitive campaigning for membership compared to a more centralised and regulated system; and the degree to which the broader politico‐economic environment influences the ability of unions to increase aggregate membership through interventionist policies.

Based on longitudinal case study research amongst ancillary staff in two health service trusts in the same region, this article analyses the strategies that management and trade unions adopted in their approach towards workplace social partnership. The article highlights the differentiated principles, practices and outcomes of partnership in the two trusts, by initially drawing on the “deliberate” and “emergent” strategy spectrum of Mintzberg and Waters. Whilst “deliberate” strategy focuses on direction and control, “emergent” strategy suggests a learning process in the search for effective patterns of behaviour and decision making outcomes. However, departing from the essentially managerialist underpinnings of the conceptualisation, the article seeks to understand how organised labour interacts with management in the creation and development of strategy in both ideal type scenarios. In this respect, the article utilises the “theory of the firm”, in particular, transaction cost analysis and the resource based view of the organisation, to aid our understanding of this complex process.

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the definition and conception of tacit knowledge in existing peer reviewed literature and to suggest how research agendas can be established to clarify understanding for praxis.

The methodology involved an in‐depth literature review of tacit knowledge as part of the knowledge management discourse.

There is considerable disagreement in the literature over the definition and role of tacit knowledge in management studies and organizations. These polemics are reflected in a lack of systematic research agendas being established. Conversely the more meta level concept of knowledge management has been the subject of an increasing amount of research. However, it is suggested that an improved understanding of tacit knowledge is needed to underpin and further develop the knowledge management discourse. From the literature the concept of tacit knowing is advanced as a means for establishing research agendas and improving understanding in praxis, within the tacit knowledge domain. This approach enables definitional differences to be further probed along with the role and purpose of tacit knowledge within organizations.

The paper suggests a number of ways in which tacit knowledge can be developed in organizations at organizational, group and individual levels.

The paper shows how the concept of tacit knowing can help in understanding the dichotomies within the tacit knowledge literature and in advancing understanding of the subject.

Contributes to the social partnership debate by exploring ways in which inter and intra‐union relations influence the development of partnership within a National Health Service Trust, by using observation techniques, focus groups and semi‐structured interviews involving ancillary workgroup members, shop stewards and managers (conducted in 1998). Argues, on an empirical basis, that union relationships may both facilitate and constrain management decision making and, ultimately, the implementation of policy. Views, conceptually, the parties’ understanding of partnership as changing over time, within a context that is contradictory; with management, trade union representatives and employees developing competing perspectives on “social partnership”, in part as a response to, and in turn recreating, a pluralistic workplace environment.

Although we're not usually a news‐oriented Journal, our July deadlines allowed us to bring you the latest from Chicago:

To be able to make sense of “Learning for Leadership” it is necessary to understand each of these vast subjects i.e. Learning and Leadership. Details the results of a research programme over a number of years that looks at leadership from a management development viewpoint to identify what needs to be done in order to improve the quality of leadership in organizations. Looks at some of the key elements of leadership and some leadership behaviour, then at learning and some of the most important methods of learning, and finally brings the two strands together to look at “Learning for Leadership”. Research has focused on what helps and hinders this learning and examples of these factors are given. Mentions various learning methods, particularly concerning “Social Influence” learning and the effect of the behaviour at the workplace of key people upon the learning and adoption of leadership behaviours.