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1 – 10 of 646Over the past few years many workers have lived through buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, upsizings, and downsizings as well as many other changes in the workplace. However…
Abstract
Over the past few years many workers have lived through buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, upsizings, and downsizings as well as many other changes in the workplace. However, witnessing and feeling the effects of such changes does not guarantee that employees will automatically comprehend the changes. Understanding changes in the workplace requires that employees grasp basic concepts related to the nature of change in human systems. Therefore, this paper presents a short case study of one company struggling through some troubling changes. The reader is asked to look at the changes in terms of ten concepts related to planned change. It is recommended that the case and related questions be discussed in small groups. This will enable various perspectives on the case to be discussed and appreciated. The groups should include a mix of employees, supervisors, and managers.
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James Kirk, Sherrie Howard, Illona Ketting and Courtney Little
This paper describes the appropriate uses of Type C interventions and presents three case studies for analysis and discussion. Type C change interventions include counseling…
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This paper describes the appropriate uses of Type C interventions and presents three case studies for analysis and discussion. Type C change interventions include counseling, coaching, and consulting. Each intervention involves a service provider who assumes the dual role of “helper” and “change agent”. Each intervention also has unique characteristics that make it particularly suited to affecting different types of changes in organizations.
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For more than a decade there have been calls to change professional development and teacher education. A central task and challenge for teacher educators is to design learning…
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For more than a decade there have been calls to change professional development and teacher education. A central task and challenge for teacher educators is to design learning experiences that offer the greatest potential for improving teacher practice. Recently, videos of classrooms have emerged as tools for teacher learning. This chapter will consider the issues we faced attempting to create a coherent, sequenced professional development curriculum using video to help teachers improve mathematics teaching and learning. We will share some of the principles that guided the work, what we’ve been learning and indicate where we feel more research is needed.
James Kirk and Lynne Kirk
Fear of technology is a common problem, even today when computers are found in most business environments. Illustrates how a department can be affected when one employee seems…
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Fear of technology is a common problem, even today when computers are found in most business environments. Illustrates how a department can be affected when one employee seems incapable of coping with computerized systems. Indeed, in this case, severe interpersonal and personal stress‐related problems severely curtail the implementation of an important new system. Students are asked to evaluate the situation and to recommend an appropriate intervention.
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Discusses honesty and integrity as the basic principle of leadership. Defines quality leadership as a process beyond technical competence. Successful leaders continually…
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Discusses honesty and integrity as the basic principle of leadership. Defines quality leadership as a process beyond technical competence. Successful leaders continually demonstrate honesty and integrity as an essential element of their professional fabric; a lack of commitment to the principle renders all other skills meaningless. Depicts honesty and integrity as essential elements of human behaviour that promote and support quality relationships. Defines honesty and integrity in the context of building trust and maintaining credibility. Provides a sound philosophy that increases the probability for long‐term success and professional fulfilment. Includes quotes from contemporary and historical leaders.
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The need to improve performance and productivity causes conflict when a blind typist comes under scrutiny. Although not intentionally singled out, she felt threatened. This is a…
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The need to improve performance and productivity causes conflict when a blind typist comes under scrutiny. Although not intentionally singled out, she felt threatened. This is a sensitive issue that needs to be handled with tact and professionalism. Because of the personalities involved, there is no easy solution to this case, a characteristic that makes “performance shock” a valuable learning tool.
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James J. Kirk and Diana Buckner
Organizations need constructive interventions for resolving disputes in the workplace. Mediation is one possible intervention. This real‐life case study and an accompanying…
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Organizations need constructive interventions for resolving disputes in the workplace. Mediation is one possible intervention. This real‐life case study and an accompanying mediation exercise can help employees acquire and practice basic mediation skills. The exercise can also serve as a learning frame for generating discussions on current issues in any organization.
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James J. Kirk, Bridget Downey, Steve Duckett and Connie Woody
The first section of the article provides readers with an overview of the most widely used career development interventions including alternative career paths, assessment centers…
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The first section of the article provides readers with an overview of the most widely used career development interventions including alternative career paths, assessment centers, career coaching/counseling, cross‐training, flexitime, job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation, job sharing, phased retirement, sabbaticals, and temporary assignments. Each intervention is described and accompanied with an example. The second section of the article presents three case studies: When woodworkers won’t; How do we keep going from here? and Opportunity in scarce resources. Each case is accompanied with a series of discussion questions and answers. Managers, trainers, and/or consultants can use the article and its case studies to facilitate discussions among employees regarding the potential benefits and drawbacks of various career development interventions.
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Alien franchise protagonist Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) returns in the series' second film instalment, Aliens (1986), as ‘a full-fledged hard-body hero’ (Gallardo & Smith, 2004…
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Alien franchise protagonist Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) returns in the series' second film instalment, Aliens (1986), as ‘a full-fledged hard-body hero’ (Gallardo & Smith, 2004) to assist in the rescue of a group of colonists from an Alien invasion. As each of the rescue team's male officers are killed or proven incompetent or traitorous, Ripley quickly steps forward as the surviving group's leader and principal strategist, forming a strong emotional attachment to the colonists' only surviving child and providing structure and stability to the remaining soldiers. Her heroism is defined by her maternal leadership of the group; as the most sensible and competent member, she prioritizes the group's needs above her own. Ripley's full embodiment of motherhood amplifies her machoism and maternal control over the surviving group, allowing her to reconquer her fears of the Alien species and protect her adopted child when she is kidnapped and nearly killed by the Alien Queen. This chapter thus traces Ellen Ripley's transformation from sceptical consultant to macho-mother and its importance to the franchise's overarching narrative, as well as the evolution of the macho-mother hero in more recent science fiction action films such as Mad Max Fury Road (2015) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).
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The classics will circulate wrote a public librarian several years ago. She found that new, attractive, prominently displayed editions of literary classics would indeed find a…
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The classics will circulate wrote a public librarian several years ago. She found that new, attractive, prominently displayed editions of literary classics would indeed find a substantial audience among public library patrons.