Geoff Plimmer, Jane Bryson and Stephen T.T. Teo
The purpose of this paper is to explore how HIWS may shape organisational capabilities, in particular organisational ambidexterity (OA) – the ability to be both adaptable to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how HIWS may shape organisational capabilities, in particular organisational ambidexterity (OA) – the ability to be both adaptable to the wider world, and internally aligned so that existing resources are used well. Given the demands on public agencies to manage conflicting objectives, and to do more with less in increasingly complex environments, this paper improves our understanding of how HIWS can contribute to public sector performance. The paper sheds light inside the black box of the HIWS/organisational performance link.
Design/methodology/approach
This multi-level quantitative study is based on a survey of 2,123 supervisory staff, and 9,496 non-supervisory employees in 56 government organisations.
Findings
The study identifies two paths to organisational performance. The first is a direct HIWS performance link. The second is a double mediation model from HIWS to organisational systems, to OA and then performance.
Practical implications
A focus on developing HIWS provides an alternative means to public sector performance, than restructuring or other performative activities.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies that explore how HIWS can develop collective as well as individual capabilities. Studies in the public sector are particularly rare.
Details
Keywords
Jane Bryson, Karl Pajo, Robyn Ward and Mary Mallon
The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction between organisational affordances for the development of individuals' capability, and the engagement of workers at…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction between organisational affordances for the development of individuals' capability, and the engagement of workers at various levels with those opportunities.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study of a large New Zealand wine company, using in‐depth interviews. Interviews were held with staff at all levels working in the vineyards or winery – the two core functions of the organisation. Transcripts were analysed drawing on Billet's notion of workplace affordances, Fuller and Unwin's restrictive‐expansive continuum, and the concept of proactive personality.
Findings
Development opportunities were differentially experienced according to level in the organisational hierarchy and function, with those higher in the organisation experiencing a more expansive environment than those in lower‐level jobs. However, where individuals were proactive, a seemingly restrictive development environment was experienced as far more expansive; just as a potentially expansive environment could be experienced as restrictive by those who did not take initiative.
Research limitations/implications
The conventional limitations of case study research apply. In particular, concerns over generalisability to other industries and organisational settings.
Practical implications
The research highlights for managers' the important role of job design and organisational characteristics that foster expansive work environments for the promotion of employee learning and development. For employees it highlights how proactive behaviour can provide opportunities for development in otherwise restrictive environments.
Originality/value
Previous research has identified differences in workplace affordances for development across organisations. The paper extends this work by showing that such differences are also evident within organisations and are associated with hierarchical position. Moreover, the paper integrates the notion of proactive behaviour, a construct that fits well with interactionist perspectives on workplace learning that emphasise the dual and reciprocal nature of contextual influences and individual agency.
Details
Keywords
Mergers are big, risky business and they frequently fail. This article reviews the literature around managing human resource management (HRM) risk in a merger. It finds that poor…
Abstract
Mergers are big, risky business and they frequently fail. This article reviews the literature around managing human resource management (HRM) risk in a merger. It finds that poor merger results are often attributed to HRM and organisational problems, and that several factors related to maintaining workforce stability are identified as important in managing HRM risk. Gaps are exposed in the extensive merger focused literature, particularly its lack of consideration of the role of unions and different employment relations policy approaches. The New Zealand‐based banking merger of Westpac and TrustBank is used to illustrate and explore the impact of union involvement alongside HRM initiatives, and to extend Guest's employment relations policy choices taxonomy. This article contributes an important additional dimension to a theory of managing HRM risk in a merger.
Details
Keywords
The public management and the occupational stress literatures are both silent on stressors associated with the work of government policy advisors. This paper aims to fill that gap…
Abstract
Purpose
The public management and the occupational stress literatures are both silent on stressors associated with the work of government policy advisors. This paper aims to fill that gap with an exploratory study to identify the potential work stressors for this occupation.
Design/methodology/approach
In‐depth interviews with 13 policy advisors/managers in a single government department and a focus group with 11 policy managers from 11 government departments are reported.
Findings
The stressors experienced can be clustered under the well accepted labels of role overload, control, culture, and interpersonal relationships. However, results indicate that the practical reality of these stressors in public sector policy advice environments is different from the generic concepts associated with the labels.
Research limitations/implications
This paper underlines the importance of occupation‐specific understanding of stressors, and has implications at a workplace level for human resource management, and at an analytical level for the public management, policy and occupational stress literatures. Fruitful areas for future study include deeper exploration of qualitative role overload, examining how and why advisory roles proliferate, and how resulting stress levels affect performance.
Practical implications
The paper highlights tensions for public sector managers in meeting obligations to protect the health and safety of their employees, while also placing top priority on serving the minister and government of the day.
Originality/value
The paper provides new insight to the stressors in public sector policy environments, and alerts public sector managers to key factors in managing policy unit performance and well‐being.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a practical conceptual tool for analysing the dynamics of cultural change in organizations. In so doing it seeks to address two concerns…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a practical conceptual tool for analysing the dynamics of cultural change in organizations. In so doing it seeks to address two concerns in the organization culture literature: issues of time and perspective which underlie the contested nature of culture; and limitations of existing analytical frameworks to cater for differing perspectives in a manner which is accessible to academics and practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
Williams' notion of culture as a constant negotiation between the dominant, the emergent, and the residual cultures mediated by the processes of selective tradition and incorporation is discussed. For illustrative purposes this model is then used to analyse material collected in a case study of a growing IT organization.
Findings
The analysis framework identifies the paradoxes and potential tensions in the ongoing development of this organization. As a result it promotes questioning, and clarifies where choices are to be made.
Research limitations/implications
The paper shows how this framework can be used to assist investigation. Although the usual limitations of case study research apply, the framework facilitates a wider view of change over time.
Practical implications
The paper provides an accessible reflective framework that affords a more dynamic, contextual, evolutionary, and nuanced view of organizations. It accommodates multiple perspectives within an organization and facilitates their exploration.
Originality/value
The paper introduces the ideas of Raymond Williams to a wider organizational audience, and demonstrates how they can be adapted to make complex accounts of culture and organization more accessible.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to broaden previous work on organizational learning and the factors that influence learning in organizational settings.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to broaden previous work on organizational learning and the factors that influence learning in organizational settings.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative and quantitative research methods that included in‐depth interviews and questionnaire distribution were used. Data gathered were analyzed using qualitative analysis along with statistical Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis.
Findings
Research results indicate that individual motivation to learn, team dynamics, and organization culture practices all have a significant level of influence on organization learning sustainability in non‐profit organizations.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a better understanding of what influences learning in organizations. The study adds on to existing definitions, theories and concepts and enables another depth of understanding to be explored. A major limitation of this study is its focus on the non‐profit sector and a selected number of organizations thereby limiting its applicability and ability to be generalized.
Practical implications
The findings of the study can help differentiate the learning phenomenon that takes place in organizations. Moreover, non‐profit organizations as well as managers and leaders would be able to better appreciate the learning that takes place in their organizations and create interventions that would enable them to motivate employees to learn effectively, enhance team dynamics, and shape their organization culture to promote their overall learning performance.
Originality/value
More empirical research is needed to better understand the nature of learning in organizations. This research adds to other empirical studies on organization learning while providing a basis for studying the factors that influence an organization's ability to sustain its learning in the long run.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer meaning-making and brand co-creation and the role of brand value and the consumption context of luxury goods in the emerging South…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer meaning-making and brand co-creation and the role of brand value and the consumption context of luxury goods in the emerging South African market.
Design/methodology/approach
An extant segmentation approach that classifies luxury brand consumers into four different segments was used to guide the identification of a total of 16 luxury consumers with whom in-depth interviews were conducted.
Findings
The findings identify differences between four consumer segments’ levels of brand knowledge and indicate how these differing levels produce interesting meanings assigned to luxury brands which in turn co-create the brands. A framework is also proposed that maps each of the four luxury segments according to the value they derive from luxury brands and the context in which luxury consumption holds the most meaning for each segment.
Practical implications
Managerial recommendations concerning the implications of consumers assigning meaning and value to luxury brands and recommendations pertaining to the managing and positioning of luxury brands to each of the four luxury segments in this market are proposed.
Originality/value
The study provides interesting insights with regards to how consumers assign meaning and value to luxury brands in the emerging South African market. The proposed framework also uniquely demonstrates underlying behaviours within each of the four luxury segments and contributes to a better understanding of how and why these segments consume luxury brands.
Details
Keywords
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and…
Abstract
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.