Alma McCarthy

360° feedback process: performance, improvement and employee career development

360° feedback processes have gained popularity as a performance management and career development tool in contemporary organisations. This monograph explores the nature of 360° feedback, investigates the factors which have influenced its emergence and contrasts it with more traditional performance management processes used by organisations. It specifically identifies the benefits and problems associated with 360° feedback in the context of management of performance and employee career development. The monograph considers the issues surrounding different sources of feedback, i.e. peer, subordinate and self. The monograph concludes with a discussion of the issues pertaining to the use of multi‐rater feedback as a tool for performance improvement and career development.

Collective Learning Processes and Human Resource Development

Collective learning is important to both human resource development (HRD) researchers and practitioners. Collective learning is a broad term and includes learning between dyads, teams, organizations, communities, and societies. Most conceptions of collective learning highlight characteristics such as relationships, shared vision and meanings, mental models and cognitive and behavioral learning. Collective learning processes pose challenges for both HRD research and practice. For researchers, we need to more fully understand how collective learning processes occur, the factors that affect collective learning, and the emergent nature of collective learning. For practitioners, the challenge concerns whether collective learning can be planned, structured, and managed.

Work‐life integration: experiences of mid‐career professional working mothers

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how mid‐career professional mothers perceive themselves in relation to their work and family roles, how they experience these roles, how they merge their work, family and individual self, and what meaning they make of this integration.Design/methodology/approach – The study used in‐depth qualitative interviews with 18 participants aged between 37 and 55 with at least one dependent child under the age of 18, in dual‐earning/career households.Findings – The study reports that a complex relationship of work‐related dynamics and personal factors shaped the meaning for these women amid competing priorities of work, family and individual lives. Organisation and co‐ordination of multiple activities with support from various sources was fundamental to finding balance. A deep sense of motherhood was evident in that their children were their number one priority but career was of high importance as they sought stimulation, challenges, achievement and enrichment in their work. Now...

Developing self‐awareness in the managerial career development process: the value of 360‐degree feedback and the MBTI

Proposes that a crucial component of the career development process is what is termed “managerial self‐awareness” (MSA). To‐date relatively little has been written about self‐awareness, particularly in the literature on managerial career development. Specifically explores the concept of self‐awareness in the context of managerial career development. The importance of self‐awareness in the managerial career development processes is examined and the relationship between self‐awareness and managerial success is also considered. The findings of a qualitative study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of two instruments used to enhance self‐awareness are reported. One of the characteristics of effective managerial career development is the creation of self‐awareness in the learner. 360‐degree feedback and personality inventories are considered useful tools in this respect.

Team Learning and Metacognition: A Neglected Area of HRD Research and Practice

The problem and the solution. An important and somewhat neglected level of analysis in human resource development research and practice is learning and development that occurs within a team. Increasingly, teams are required to make important decisions in organizations. Employees must learn to be team members and to function not merely as a collective of individuals, but rather as a cohesive team that learns to learn. A key component of team learning concerns metacognitive processes. Although metacognition has been established as an important aspect of individual level learning, there is a paucity of research exploring how metacognition can impact learning at a team and collective level. We propose a conceptual model of team learning and metacognition and discuss the implications for research and practice.

Employee work–life balance outcomes in Ireland: a multilevel investigation of supervisory support and perceived organizational support

This article examines how employee perceptions of supervisory and organizational support for work–life balance, in addition to the number of work–life balance programmes available, predict a number of work–life balance outcomes including role conflict, job satisfaction, family satisfaction and turnover intentions in a sample of large private and public sector organizations in Ireland. The attitudes of HR managers towards work–life balance programmes are also explored. To account for the nested structure of the data, analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modelling. We found that perceptions of work–life supportiveness as measured at the HR manager and immediate supervisor levels affect employee uptake of work–life programmes, employee work–life balance outcomes and turnover intentions.

Vocational education and training in the republic of Ireland: institutional reform and policy developments since the 1960s

Abstract The central purpose of this article is to ascertain whether the system of vocational education and training in the Republic of Ireland can withstand the range of challenges that face the economy. In order to do so, a general overview of the current educational system is first presented. The nature of vocational education and training in the Republic of Ireland is then considered within the context of national training, and development institutional and policy development. The effectiveness of the various legislative measures and institutional reforms that have affected the Vocational Education and Training system in the Republic of Ireland is examined. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the issues that face the Republic of Ireland regarding the provision and effectiveness of vocational education and training as we enter the twenty-first century.

HRD: working at the boundaries and interfaces of organisations

This paper argues that human resource development (HRD) can make an important contribution in facilitating the effective management of boundaries and interfaces in organisations. Organisations are increasingly required to network and collaborate both internally and externally in order to achieve key strategic objectives. HRD can facilitate and contribute to this process at four levels of intervention.

Understanding the Irish VET system: beyond neoclassicism

Neoclassical approaches continue to dominate evaluations of national skill‐formation systems. Argues for the benefits of including alternative interdisciplinary and theoretically grounded approaches in any evaluation of the Irish system as it relates to its economic system. This broader focus, it is argued, could lead to more informed policy formulation and implementation. Following the “societal effect” approach, argues here that vocational education and training systems can only be adequately understood with reference to the set of inter‐relationships between the education system, industrial training system, the organizational structure of industry, the industrial relations system and the class and status relations of the wider society as reflected in its political system.

Leading During Uncertainty and Economic Turbulence An Investigation of Leadership Strengths and Development Needs in the Senior Irish Public Sector

The Problem The high-profile business and political failures characteristic of the global crisis call into question the role of leaders and leadership in these events. The capability of senior leaders to predict, prevent, manage, and overcome crises and uncertainty is critical for organizational success in both the private and public sectors. Little is known about the capabilities and competencies required of public leaders to effectively manage in turbulent times. A greater understanding of these issues has important implications for Human resource development (HRD) in terms of training needs analysis, intervention design, delivery, and evaluation for public sector leaders. Taken together, there is a gap in our understanding of public sector leadership capability during times of crises and uncertainty. The Solution Using a 360-degree assessment approach, this article explores perceptions of leadership among senior public sector managers in Ireland during uncertainty and economic turbulence. The study analyzes qualitative comments and presents findings from 1,200 surveys regarding senior leadership strengths and development needs in 2010, when Ireland was in the height of economic and fiscal uncertainty. The findings indicate that five competencies (communication, character and integrity, personal energy and passion, delivering results, and engaging the organization in developing strategy) account for 75% of all comments relating to senior public sector leadership strengths. Ten competencies account for 77% of all comments relating to senior leaders’ development needs (communication, resources to cope with demands, delivering results, decision protocols, character and integrity, making changes happen, engaging the organization in developing strategy, ensuring accountability, strategic vision, and building teams). The Stakeholders This article will be of particular relevance to HRD academicians and practitioners, especially those interested in public sector leadership.