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1 – 10 of 17Emma Keddy and Kevin Charlesworth
This paper aims to look at how Oakridge Training and Consulting helped AstraZeneca develop a behaviors training program for its information services (IS) project managers. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to look at how Oakridge Training and Consulting helped AstraZeneca develop a behaviors training program for its information services (IS) project managers. The program was an inspiration for team building within IS and is set to be taken forward in other areas of the business.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses a three‐day workshop that focused on developing individual behavioral learning skills and moved on to a program focused on bringing the group closer together to help develop a team spirit. Professional development days began with a morning of business activities followed by a training session (developed along already highlighted themes) and finished with a business round. Key outcomes – project managers encouraged to think practically about responding as an individual as well as part of a team, to question and practise what they had learned and how they could use it in real life.
Findings
Attendance to training has increased to a regular 98 percent from around 55 percent. They are seen as beneficial and opportunities to take time out, share problems, learn with colleagues and support other team members.
Practical implications
Training has developed a sense of belonging. Team began to trust the group to help solve problems. Team development is now linked to core values and organizational behaviors.
Originality/value
Looks at how Oakridge Training and Consulting helped AstraZeneca develop a behaviors training program for its information services (IS) project managers.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine how Oakridge Training and Consulting helped AstraZeneca to develop a training program in teamwork for its information‐services (IS) project…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how Oakridge Training and Consulting helped AstraZeneca to develop a training program in teamwork for its information‐services (IS) project managers.
Design/methodology/approach
Discusses a three‐day workshop that focused on developing individual learning skills, which was followed by a program focused on developing team spirit.
Findings
Reveals that the project managers were encouraged to think practically about responding as an individual as well as part of a team, to question and to practice what they had learned. Describes how attendance at training sessions increased from 55 percent at the start of the program to around 98 percent.
Practical implications
Advances the view that the project managers see the sessions as a good opportunity to share problems, learn with colleagues and support other team members.
Originality/value
Contends that the training has developed a sense of belonging, and that team members have begun to trust the group to help solve problems.
Details
Keywords
A distinction must be drawn between a dismissal on the one hand, and on the other a repudiation of a contract of employment as a result of a breach of a fundamental term of that…
Abstract
A distinction must be drawn between a dismissal on the one hand, and on the other a repudiation of a contract of employment as a result of a breach of a fundamental term of that contract. When such a repudiation has been accepted by the innocent party then a termination of employment takes place. Such termination does not constitute dismissal (see London v. James Laidlaw & Sons Ltd (1974) IRLR 136 and Gannon v. J. C. Firth (1976) IRLR 415 EAT).
Joy Leopold, Jason R. Lambert, Ifeyimika O. Ogunyomi and Myrtle P. Bell
The purpose of this paper is to propose that #MeToo is a social movement which has been more effective in changing norms around and increasing understanding about the prevalence…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose that #MeToo is a social movement which has been more effective in changing norms around and increasing understanding about the prevalence and destructiveness of sexual harassment than decades of laws and organizational policies have been.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses communication, management and psychology literature on social media, public shaming and social movements to propose that #MeToo is a social movement that has changed perceptions of and knowledge about sexual harassment and assault. #MeToo provides voice to previously silenced targets and incentives for individuals to avoid perpetrating harassment and for organizations to deter sexual harassment at work and sanction it if it occurs.
Findings
The paper discusses individuals who have been publicly shamed and terminated for bigoted behavior outside of work, and organizational leaders who have been ousted after social media postings, as organizations attempt to distance themselves from the perpetrators of bigotry and sexual misconduct. Since #MeToo, some cities have passed laws prohibiting organizations from requiring sexual harassment targets to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Practical implications
Sexual harassment is associated with high individual costs and organizational costs, including costs of turnover, lost business and reputational damage. The #MeToo movement provides incentives for organizations to be more proactive and vigilant in their attempts to deter sexual harassment, and to appropriately address it when it occurs.
Social implications
Sexual harassment has widespread effects on women’s daily lives and careers. #MeToo gives voice to harassment targets, changes norms of silencing them, and increases awareness of harassment as unacceptable, harmful behavior.
Originality/value
The paper positions #MeToo as a social movement, with the ability to change the seemingly intractable problem of sexual harassment in ways laws have not.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the professional context of the educator and architects who designed and conceived Woodleigh School in Baxter, Victoria, Australia…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the professional context of the educator and architects who designed and conceived Woodleigh School in Baxter, Victoria, Australia (1974-1979) and to identify common design threads in a series of schools designed by Daryl Jackson and Evan Walker in the 1970s.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was derived from academic and professional publications, film footage, interviews, archival searches and site visits. Standard analytical methods in architectural research are employed, including formal, planning and morphological analysis, to read building designs for meaning and intent. Books, people and buildings were examined to piece together the design “biography” of Woodleigh School, the identification of which forms the basis of the paper's argument.
Findings
Themes of loose fit, indeterminate planning, coupled with concepts of classroom as house, and school as town, and engagement with a landscape environment are drawn together under principal Michael Norman's favoured phrase that adolescents might experience “a slice of life”, preparing them for broader engagement with a world and a community outside school. The themes reflect changing aspirations for teenage education in the 1970s, indicating a free and experimental approach to the design of the school environment.
Originality/value
The paper considers, for the first time, the interconnected role of educator and architect as key protagonists in envisioning connections between space and pedagogy in the 1970s alternative school.
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The growth of non‐standard or atypical forms of employment, such as part‐time, casual work and so on, represents one of the most dramatic changes in the structure of employment in…
Abstract
The growth of non‐standard or atypical forms of employment, such as part‐time, casual work and so on, represents one of the most dramatic changes in the structure of employment in Australia and other countries since the late 1970s. Management employment strategies have been identified as a major causal factor in the expansion of non‐standard employment. Employers are increasingly using these atypical forms of employment as a means of lowering direct labour costs. Argues, however, that there are a number of hidden costs involved in using non‐standard employment that are not commonly taken into consideration. Highlights the negative effects atypical employment can have on work relations, and the motivation of employees, based on a detailed hospital case study and other evidence. Argues that atypical labour may serve to undermine quality standards and the attainment of business strategies.
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Futurists have tended to take little interest in the hard work of implementing changes necessary to reach particular futures. This paper aims to argue that the field should pay…
Abstract
Purpose
Futurists have tended to take little interest in the hard work of implementing changes necessary to reach particular futures. This paper aims to argue that the field should pay more attention to these issues, and to use the challenge of weight loss to illustrate how tools can be developed to help both individuals and organizations deal with futures. It also aims to argue for the importance of mindfulness in managing long‐term futures challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes how the author applied concepts outlined in Futures 2.0 to his own program of weight loss, and lost 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms).
Findings
The paper shows how futurists could use concepts from behavioral economics and design in personal futures and futures work more generally. It also suggests that mindfulness – a concept borrowed from Buddhism and other contemplative practices – can give perspective necessary see the long‐term consequences of decisions they face in the present, and the self‐discipline necessary to make good choices.
Research limitations/implications
The paper argues that futurists should not just focus on helping clients see unexpected trends or wild cards, or thinking about the future in new ways, or reframing their underlying strategic assumptions. Complex, intractable futures subvert the best efforts of rational actors; clients are most interested in getting help on the problems they are least likely to solve.
Practical implications
More value for clients can be delivered by helping them understand common roadblocks and designing the means to reach long‐term future goals.
Social implications
For a profession accustomed to thinking about big issues and megatrends like nanotechnology and global warming, losing weight may seem trivial and beneath its interest. But by any objective measure, in much of the developed world obesity is a substantial public health problem: it affects the lives of tens of millions of people, increases chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, and costs governments hundreds of billions of dollars. More generally, weight loss is a microcosm of the kinds of problems that can only be managed through the collective action of large numbers of people.
Originality/value
The paper is a contribution to the literature on personal futures, and to the ongoing discussion of the scope and methods of futures.
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Jill Manthorpe and Kevin Goodwin
Advanced care planning (ACP) involves the discussion of preferences relevant to a possible future time when one’s ability to make decisions may be compromised. ACP is considered…
Abstract
Purpose
Advanced care planning (ACP) involves the discussion of preferences relevant to a possible future time when one’s ability to make decisions may be compromised. ACP is considered as having potential to enhance choice and control and thereby to improve the experience of care for people with dementia and their carers. Care coordinators have been highlighted as possibly playing a central role in facilitating these discussions among people with long-term care needs. However, there is limited evidence of how ACP is facilitated by community mental health professionals who may be supporting people with dementia and carers. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study took the form of qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore the views and experiences of community mental health professionals when discussing ACP with people with dementia and/or their carers. A convenience sample of 14 participants working in community mental health services in one NHS Mental Health Trust in London, England, was recruited and interview data were analysed using a framework approach.
Findings
Five themes emerged from the interviews – knowledge and experience, use of ACP, inhibitors of discussion, service influences and the future. The depth of ACP facilitation appeared dependent on the knowledge, confidence and skills of the individual professional. Limited resources leading to service rationing were cited as a major barrier to ACP engagement. Helping people with dementia and their carers with ACP was not viewed as a priority in the face of competing and increasing demands. A further organisational barrier was whether ACP was viewed by service managers as “core business”. Findings indicate that practice was generally to refer people with dementia to other agencies for ACP discussions. However, pockets of ACP practice were reported, such as explaining proxy decision making options for finances.
Research limitations/implications
This exploratory study took place in the community mental health services in one NHS Mental Health Trust that may not be representative of other such teams. Case records were not scrutinised or clinical conversations with people with dementia or carers.
Practical implications
Barriers to initiating ACP discussions were cited, such as limited resources, lack of time and knowledge; unclear role remit, uncertain service direction and poor documentation sharing processes. However, participants held a common belief that ACP for people with dementia is potentially important and were interested in training, a greater team focus on ACP and pathway development. This indicates the potential for staff development and continuing professional development.
Originality/value
Few studies have asked a wide range of members of community mental health services about their knowledge, skills and confidence in ACP and this study suggests the value of taking a team-wide approach rather than uni-professional initiatives.
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