It would be hard to say when companies became concerned with appraising their managers' performance. It may be that it has always been a concern, but it has really only manifested…
Abstract
It would be hard to say when companies became concerned with appraising their managers' performance. It may be that it has always been a concern, but it has really only manifested itself in formal appraisal methods and systems over the past decade or so. (Doubtless having said that we will be inundated with letters proving that appraisal can be traced back to Plato's ‘Republic’ or the Bible.) However, despite the concern and the large amount of material written and spoken about appraisal, much of what takes place appears to have become an annual form‐filling ritual with little influence, either on the individuals or the organisation. Managers, who are frequently on the receiving end of this ritual, are hard put to identify the usefulness of appraisal, nor are they usually in a position to assess how well an appraisal fits the needs of their particular company. This article is an attempt to describe for managers a framework for examining the usefulness and appropriateness of an appraisal system. The analyses resulting from the framework should help managers to design an appraisal system better suited to the needs of their organisation.
David Tuffield, former UK marketing manager for Augat/Isotronics, has been appointed European marketing manager to head the company's plans to increase penetration into this…
Abstract
David Tuffield, former UK marketing manager for Augat/Isotronics, has been appointed European marketing manager to head the company's plans to increase penetration into this expanding hybrid micropackaging industry. He will be responsible for the complete marketing and sales effort for micropackaging products providing the interface between US manufacturing facilities and Augat subsidiary product managers.
FOR SOME TIME NOW IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TRAINING HAS BEEN caught in a number of vicious circles whereby the increased internal efficiency of training events (be they courses…
Abstract
FOR SOME TIME NOW IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TRAINING HAS BEEN caught in a number of vicious circles whereby the increased internal efficiency of training events (be they courses, seminars, or workshops) has not increased their external effectiveness; for example, on the criteria of improved performance back on the job. This phenomenon can be explained in terms of organisational theory, by showing that training has not taken adequate account of the environment or, in a more limited sense, if related to a specific job, the context in which a job is done. Training works best in a stable environment where most factors are predictable. A stable environment is one where the critical factors are not changing and with regard to training it means that the skill acquisition is related directly to a known situation. In the development and use of a technology for organisational analysis, which in the CAP/ITB context means that it is based on the Contingency Theory of Organisations, the environment is considered to be a major factor in any situation. Later a case study will elaborate on how the environment sector of our model can be used at company, department and individual levels. This enables an analysis of individual jobs to take place which takes account of both the internal (department) environment and the external (company and outside company) environment.
Ian McEvoy has been appointed Director of Operations at DEK Printing Machines Ltd, Weymouth.
Denise Bedford and Thomas W. Sanchez
This chapter focuses on network links as knowledge flows and relationships. Knowledge links are defined as channels for communicating and distributing knowledge. The literature on…
Abstract
Chapter Summary
This chapter focuses on network links as knowledge flows and relationships. Knowledge links are defined as channels for communicating and distributing knowledge. The literature on network links is aligned with the literature on knowledge sharing, transfer, exchange, and appropriation. This chapter focuses on the peculiar attributes of knowledge network links. The authors identify the attributes to include a link’s direction, length and distance, strength and durability, concentration and congestion, velocity and impact, meaning and intention, and the coverage and spread. The authors also describe standard configurations of knowledge networks.
Eleonora Pantano and Kim Willems
In confining the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing was key, with traditional, bricks-and-mortar retailing being shut-down for weeks, and have nearly universally moved into…
Abstract
In confining the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing was key, with traditional, bricks-and-mortar retailing being shut-down for weeks, and have nearly universally moved into online channels. At the same time, online players have started to operate physical stores. This chapter provides an analysis of how COVID-19 has accelerated the digitalization of retailing, focusing on the shift towards the online and mobile shopping channel. On the basis of success stories and failures in retail business practice, lessons are distilled for developing effective future phygital scenarios.
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Charles Oppenheim and Vola Walker
A survey was carried out of users, and potential users of the BBC Scotland Information Research Library services. Two postal questionnaires were sent out in the summer of 1995 to…
Abstract
A survey was carried out of users, and potential users of the BBC Scotland Information Research Library services. Two postal questionnaires were sent out in the summer of 1995 to more than 100 individuals and organisations in Scotland. Based upon a 50% response rate, various conclusions could be drawn. Internal respondents were very satisfied with the services they currently received, but were, unsurprisingly, unwilling to pay significant sums to receive the services. There is some potential interest from outside the BBC in the Library's Events Guide. The exercise was undertaken both to assess the potential market for the Events Guide and to raise awareness generally of the Library's services. The results provide valuable pointers to how the BBC Scotland library services can develop, and, in time, the survey may turn out to have been a valuable marketing tool in its own right.
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A two‐day symposium will be hosted by the ISHM‐Can‐Am Chapter in Ottawa, Canada, on 19–20 June 1985. The event will concentrate on advances in Surface Mounted Technology and…
Abstract
A two‐day symposium will be hosted by the ISHM‐Can‐Am Chapter in Ottawa, Canada, on 19–20 June 1985. The event will concentrate on advances in Surface Mounted Technology and topics covered will include design rules and critical process parameters, multi‐stage attachment methods, advances in cleaning processes and fluids, robotic insertion of non‐standard components, automatic inspection, etc. A Tutorial will be held concurrently on rework techniques for surface mounted devices.
Gurudev S. Khalsa and David S. Steingard
This chapter offers a relationally based organizational development (OD) model for understanding the crisis period that characterizes an organization in transition between…
Abstract
This chapter offers a relationally based organizational development (OD) model for understanding the crisis period that characterizes an organization in transition between life-cycle stages. In this model, organizations are viewed as holographically comprising relationships at multiple levels—among people, groups, functions, and other organizations in the environment. During transition crises, relations at all of these levels tend to become polarized, threatening the organization, its people, and the mission it serves. By embracing these powerful “creative tensions” through a process we call “relational healing,” stakeholders come to see their organization more holistically as a set of interwoven relationships evolving toward a new life stage of their choosing. Drawing upon OD approaches such as appreciative inquiry and dialogue, relational healing guides the organization to greater integrity via a five-stage “wholing” model: splitting, engagement, appreciation, release, and reintegration. The model is grounded in our research and consulting work with JAZZ, a not-for-profit arts organization that worked through a life-transition crisis over a two-year period. In-depth case stories from this work illustrate the fragmentation and subsequent healing of relationship at multiple levels, leading to a radically transformed and reenergized organization.