Faye Banks, Amy Fielden, David O'Sullivan and Barry Ingham
Research into culture within intellectual disability services, has predominantly focussed on small group homes in Australia. The current investigation aimed to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
Research into culture within intellectual disability services, has predominantly focussed on small group homes in Australia. The current investigation aimed to explore the transferability of the dimensions of culture identified in the literature, to a residential Intellectual Disability service in the UK. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of informal culture upon the behaviour of direct care staff, particularly around managing behaviour that challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with direct care staff. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically using template analysis.
Findings
Themes regarding leadership, perceptions of managers, team functioning, and relationships between direct care staff and service users, were identified, corroborating the existing literature. Additional themes relating to being aware of the risks posed by service users, and the emotional impact of behaviour that challenges, also emerged.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative study to explore informal culture within a community residential Intellectual Disability service in the UK.
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Sandra A. Lawrence, Ashlea C. Troth, Peter J. Jordan and Amy L. Collins
Research in industrial and organizational psychology demonstrates that the regulation of negative emotions in response to both organizational stressors and interpersonal workplace…
Abstract
Research in industrial and organizational psychology demonstrates that the regulation of negative emotions in response to both organizational stressors and interpersonal workplace interactions can result in functional and dysfunctional outcomes (Côté, 2005; Diefendorff, Richard, & Yang, 2008). Research on the regulation of negative emotions has additionally been conducted in social psychology, developmental psychology, neuropsychology, health psychology, and clinical psychology. A close reading of this broader literature, however, reveals that the conceptualization and use of the term “emotion regulation” varies within each research field as well as across these fields. The main focus of our chapter is to make sense of the term “emotion regulation” in the workplace by considering its use across a broad range of psychology disciplines. We then develop an overarching theoretical framework using disambiguating terminology to highlight what we argue are the important constructs involved in the process of intrapersonal emotion generation, emotional experience regulation, and emotional expression regulation in the workplace (e.g., emotional intelligence, emotion regulation strategies, emotion expression displays). We anticipate this chapter will enable researchers and industrial and organizational psychologists to identify the conditions under which functional regulation outcomes are more likely to occur and then build interventions around these findings.
Paula McDonald, Keith Townsend and Amy Wharton
Critical scholarship on work‐life balance (WLB) and its associated practices maintains that workplace flexibility is more than a quasi‐functionalist response to contemporary…
Abstract
Purpose
Critical scholarship on work‐life balance (WLB) and its associated practices maintains that workplace flexibility is more than a quasi‐functionalist response to contemporary problems faced by individuals, families or organisations. Beginning with Fleetwood's contention that WLB discourses have become “detached” from their associated practices, this paper aims to explore how workplace practices support or challenge dominant WLB discourses evident in socio‐cultural, political and organisational sources.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyse individual and group interview transcripts derived from 122 white‐collar employees in two different organisational contexts (one public, one private) in the construction industry in Australia.
Findings
Four major themes were identified in the data, which illustrate discourse practice gaps. First, the demands facing this particular industry/sector were framed as heightened and unique. Second, productivity was prioritised, dominating employees' care‐giving and lifestyle concerns. Third, employees' caring responsibilities were communicated as personal and individual choices. Fourth, commitment and efficiency were judged on the basis of presence in the workplace.
Research limitations/implications
Even in industries that have embraced WLB, workplace practices legitimate and reinforce the status quo, and maintain a gap between the promises of WLB and its potential to ameliorate conflict and assist workers to span the boundaries of paid work and other life domains.
Originality/value
While the practices demonstrated in the research are focused on one industry, the study provides a critical analysis of how the contextually‐influenced meaning of WLB is constructed, created and contested in these workplaces and the effects it produces.
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‘Waxolan’ Protective Coating. Steel items are protected from corrosion under simulated tropical humidity conditions (100% relative humidity at 42° to 48°C.) for more than ten days…
Abstract
‘Waxolan’ Protective Coating. Steel items are protected from corrosion under simulated tropical humidity conditions (100% relative humidity at 42° to 48°C.) for more than ten days by Waxolan hot‐dip rust preventive. Waxolan is compounded from selected green mineral jellies of high melting point, together with suitable grades of beeswax, into a stiff waxy solid with a melting point of 56° to 65°C. Articles dipped into the molten material acquire a thick, highly corrosion‐resistant coating. Film thickness is variable with the temperature of application, which is preferably between 82° and 90°C.
Helen Woolnough and Jane Redshaw
The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate anticipated and real career decisions made by two cohorts of professional women in the UK at differing stages…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate anticipated and real career decisions made by two cohorts of professional women in the UK at differing stages of the lifespan.
Design/methodology/approach
Career decisions made by two cohorts of professional women following the birth of their first child at different stages of the lifespan and satisfaction with these choices in retrospect were investigated. Data analysis followed a thematic approach, and comparisons between the two cohorts were made.
Findings
The study revealed much similarity between the two cohorts. The decisions women make regarding whether to return to work or not and the extent to which they are satisfied with their working arrangements are constrained by similar individual and organisational factors despite the 15-20 year gap.
Research limitations/implications
Although mothers in the UK now experience strengthened legislation concerning maternity benefits and entitlements and there have been advances in flexible working, progress in relation to supporting women in reconciling work and home life when they return to work is arguably limited.
Originality/value
This paper offers insights into the extent to which the career decisions made by professional women following the birth of their first child and satisfaction with these choices in retrospect have changed (or not) among two cohorts of professional women (15-20 years apart). The findings stress the importance of understanding the complex issues faced by mothers in the workforce and providing appropriate organisational support.
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Jane Hurst, Sarah Leberman and Margot Edwards
The purpose of this paper is to examine the expectations women have of their women managers and/or women employees and to suggest personal and organizational strategies to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the expectations women have of their women managers and/or women employees and to suggest personal and organizational strategies to strengthen those relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on a first phase of research using narrative inquiry into the lived experiences of women managing and/or being managed by women, workshops were held with 13 participants to explore their relationship expectations of women managers and/or employees.
Findings
While the participants initially believed they expected the same things of a manager or employee irrespective of gender, a closer examination revealed gender-based expectations. Women expect a higher degree of emotional understanding and support from a woman manager, than they would from a man. They also expect a woman manager to see them as an equal, take a holistic view of them as people, understand the complexities of their lives and provide flexibility to accommodate those complexities.
Research limitations/implications
This is an exploratory study in an under-researched area. Extensive further research is warranted.
Practical implications
Understanding the expectations women have of their women managers enables the development of both personal and organizational strategies aimed at strengthening those relationships.
Originality/value
These findings begin a dialogue on the often-unspoken and unrecognized gender-based expectations women have of their relationships with women managers and/or women employees. Although considerable research exists on gender stereotypes in the workplace, little research exists on these gender-based relational expectations.