Describes a Swedish method of management by objectives(resultkontrakting, or contracting for results). The group involvedcompletes a contract for improvement; they then agree who…
Abstract
Describes a Swedish method of management by objectives (resultkontrakting, or contracting for results). The group involved completes a contract for improvement; they then agree who the stakeholders are and what demands they have. The group has to take responsibility for their action plan by having to negotiate their plans for change with management.
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States that the problem of management by objectives (MBO) isimplementing objectives on the shopfloor or in the office. Describes theSwedish form of MBO, Resultkontrakting…
Abstract
States that the problem of management by objectives (MBO) is implementing objectives on the shopfloor or in the office. Describes the Swedish form of MBO, Resultkontrakting (literally, contracting for results), and lists the key steps of this process. Provides details of introducing Resultkontraktinginto an organization and provides four case studies to show how it works. Concludes by listing the benefits of this process.
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In the concluding part of a three‐part series on Japanese success, reports it has been suggested that it is a combination of long‐term strategies and a united approach. Outlines…
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In the concluding part of a three‐part series on Japanese success, reports it has been suggested that it is a combination of long‐term strategies and a united approach. Outlines Japanese history and thinking patterns. Discusses how post war Japan was ready to assimilate the “quality” ideas of Dr. Deming. Asserts that the key to Japanese success lies not in the systems, but in the people who run the system, managers and managed, and how they relate to each other. Discusses the seniority system and the importance of life‐time employment. Notes that knowledge is spread and shared, and that concern for the common good is said to be the prime motivation of a Japanese company. Discusses long‐term planning as another possible key to Japanese success as well as their commitment to quality. Concludes that Japanese success is not a myth but the result of a well‐thought‐out long‐term strategy.
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Valentina Short, Judith A. Covey, Lisa A. Webster, Ruth Wadman, Joe Reilly, Naomi Hay-Gibson and Helen J. Stain
Team formulation, used to understand patient problems and plan care, is a growing practice in adult mental health and learning disability services. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Team formulation, used to understand patient problems and plan care, is a growing practice in adult mental health and learning disability services. The purpose of this paper is to explore definitions applied to team formulation (as distinct to therapy formulation), its underpinning theories, and the inter-relationship between the team and the process of formulation.
Design/methodology/approach
A database search (main search term of team formulation) of peer-reviewed studies was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. A main and second reviewer conducted quality appraisals and thematic analysis. Data were analysed by convergent qualitative synthesis design using thematic analysis to transform evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies into qualitative findings.
Findings
Initial searching produced 4,532 papers, 10 of which were eligible for inclusion. Team formulation has no distinct definition. Theories underpinning the practice of therapy formulation emanating from general psychological theory underpin team formulation. Seven studies applied psychological theories to the examination of team formulation. No studies examined the impact of the team on the formulation. Six themes were generated regarding the impact of team formulation on the team; “increased knowledge and understanding”, “altered perceptions, leading to altered relationships, feelings and behaviours”, “space to reflect”, “useful when stuck or challenged”, “perceived increase in effectiveness” and “improved team working”.
Research limitations/implications
Limited evidence and variable quality compromised the availability of review evidence.
Originality/value
This is the first review to examine team formulation through the context of the team. The authors argue that a conceptual framework to encompass team inputs, processes and outputs in team formulation practice should guide future research.
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Phil Beaumont and John Leopold
Increasingly public sector industrial relations have become the central concern of governments, practitioners and academics. The main purpose of this monograph is to review key…
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Increasingly public sector industrial relations have become the central concern of governments, practitioners and academics. The main purpose of this monograph is to review key developments in public sector industrial relations, particularly during the period of the Thatcher Government. The emphasis is on the public services, especially local government, the NHS and the civil service. In the first section we review trends in public sector employment (particularly in the light of Government policy to reduce it), wages (in a context of cash limits), and strikes and other forms of industrial action. In the second part we move from “outcomes” to consider recent developments in the structure, organisation and policy of the “actors” in public sector industrial relations. In particular, we examine union organisation, developments in personnel management, bargaining structure, wage determination machinery and procedures, dispute resolution and privatisation initiatives. Developments in these areas are set in the context of the traditional features which distinguish public sector industrial relations from other spheres. In many of the areas under consideration, trends and developments set in train by the post‐1979 Conservative Government are still in the process of being worked out. Overall public sector employment has fallen, but with considerable variation around the average. National wage disputes, with considerable numbers of working days lost, have characterised the public sector since 1979, but the frequency of industrial conflict should not be exaggerated. There are moves to decentralise union and management structures, but the consequences of this have yet to be realised. Pay, however, remains problematic for government, employing authorities and unions. Since 1981–2, public sector settlements have generally been below the rate of inflation, but above the cash limit. The ad hoc policy of determining public sector pay by a mixture of review bodies, measures of comparability and market forces has created an overall picture of confusion. Establishing a fair and rational system of public sector pay remains a key task for any future government.
A highly significant action taken by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, reported elsewhere in this issue, could well result in important advances in surveillance and…
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A highly significant action taken by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, reported elsewhere in this issue, could well result in important advances in surveillance and probably legislative control over enforcement of certain aspects of EEC legislation in the Member‐states. The Minister has sent an urgent request to the Commission in Brussels to dispatch inspectors to each country, including the United Kingdom, to examine and report on the standards of inspection and hygiene with detailed information on how the EEC Directive on Poultry Meat is being implemented. Information of the method of financing the cost of poultrymeat inspection in each country has ben requested. The comprehensive survey is seen as a common approach in this one field. The Minister requested that the results of the inspectors' reports should be available to him and other Member‐states.
Merilyn Childs, Michael Morris and Valerie Ingham
Australian newspapers, like those in other first‐world countries, valorise fire‐fighters through images more typically associated with heroic blue‐collar “battlers”: sweat, ash…
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Australian newspapers, like those in other first‐world countries, valorise fire‐fighters through images more typically associated with heroic blue‐collar “battlers”: sweat, ash, uniforms and firestorms, punctuated with tales of heroic deeds and personal sacrifice. Yet increasingly, much of the work of fire‐fighters is associated with the grunt of “clean work” – report writing, community engagement, prevention and recovery activities, and so on. This paper considers the changing nature of career fire‐fighters' work in one fire‐fighting organisation in Australia, and the rising importance of “clean” white‐collar work to emergency management.
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While the terms theatre and drama are often used synonymously, they are marked by distinct differences. Drama is concerned with the literature of the theatre, the written basis…
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While the terms theatre and drama are often used synonymously, they are marked by distinct differences. Drama is concerned with the literature of the theatre, the written basis for theatrical presentations. Theatre refers to the art of presentation, and includes the creations of the playwright, the designer, the architect, and the actor.
The dedicatee of this Festschrift Issue is Anthony J. Wood,retiring as Head of the Department of Library and Information Science ofManchester Metropolitan University. His career…
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The dedicatee of this Festschrift Issue is Anthony J. Wood, retiring as Head of the Department of Library and Information Science of Manchester Metropolitan University. His career is reviewed by the former Librarian of Manchester Polytechnic/ Manchester Metropolitan University.
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.