Andrea North-Samardzic

The impact of gender culture on women's career trajectories: an Australian case study

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of gender culture and gender subtext on the career trajectories of women. It examines the organization as an arena in which underlying cultural processes maintain gender distinctions and barriers, thereby limiting the efficacy of policies specifically designed to increase the number of women at senior levels.Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on the findings of a qualitative case study of the perceptions of womens career trajectories in an Australian financial services organization. by examining the gender subtexts of organizational documentation we analyse the impact of gender culture, specifically the gender structure of the organization, gender identities of women managers and gender symbolism in organizational texts.Findings – The findings highlight the way an organizations gender culture legitimate continuing gender distinctions and impose pressure on women to comply with masculine behavioral norms, while accepting gender disti...

Looking Back to Move Forward: The (D)evolution of Australia's EEO Regulatory Framework

In the context of a 2009 review of Australias legislation governing framework government equal opportunity for women in the workplace, this article traces the history of Australias Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity regulatory frameworks, arguing that there has been a consistent devolution in accountability and responsibility over the years. Whilst there is considerable existing research on EEO outcomes drawing on publicly available reports, the weakness of the reporting mechanism means that evidence of workplace policy and practice has not only diminished but should also be questioned for its accuracy. Drawing from workplace case studies in three sectors, the article draws contrasts between espoused organisational policy and some experiences of women in these workplaces. It is suggested that this and similar evidence of limitations in our current regulatory framework need to be considered by those crafting new legislation.

Peer mentoring in higher education and the development of leadership skills in mentors

Abstract Purpose We examine the question of whether peer-mentoring programs in higher education develop leadership skills in student mentors. Methodology/approach The various forms of peer mentoring are discussed, as well as the benefits that these programs can bestow on mentors. We then turn to a discussion of the relationship between peer mentoring and leadership, and place particular emphasis on implicit leadership theories and the research in this area. A case study of a large peer-mentoring program at an Australian university is undertaken and the various aspects of implicit leadership theory are examined in the light of comments collected from both mentees and mentors. Findings Evidence of implicit leadership skills of mentors was seen in the responses of mentees. However, the explicit treatment of leadership skills in the peer-mentoring program needs to be approached in a more deliberate manner if students are to benefit fully from the experience of mentoring. Originality/value While the results of this study were inconclusive, it does provide a basis for further inspection of leadership development within peer-mentoring communities.

Surfacing Authentic Leadership: Inspiration from "After Life".

This paper advocates an innovative approach to help leadership students analyze, capture, and remember the nature of their authentic leadership. This developmental activity was inspired by the Japanese film, Wandâfuru raifu (After Life) (Kore-Eda, Sato, & Shigenobu, 1998), in which the recently deceased are asked to recall and relate a memory that symbolizes all that is important to them. After this memory is replayed to them the recently deceased move on to the afterlife and keep the memory prominent in their minds for eternity. This activity is applied to authentic leadership by asking leadership students to recall their family, personal, and work histories as they relate to their leadership. To bring this activity up to date and into the real world, the students are asked to tell their story directly to a camera in front of a green screen. In postproduction, images related to the students’ stories are keyed in to replace the green screen thereby creating powerful memories of the factors influencing the students’ authentic leadership. This new technique is proposed as an integrative and memorable activity that captures and synthesizes insights from other authentic leadership exercises while focusing on the actionable lessons. Viewing of the film prior to the teaching event offers the additional benefit of creating an atmosphere of quiet contemplation and reflection in students’ minds.

Acceptance and use of MOODLE

Learning management systems such as Moodle have become an integral part of today’s universities. While commonly used throughout the world, there has been disproportionate attention to peoples’ acceptance and use of such technologies. What is worth specific attention is how students may perceive learning technologies differently to their professors. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology or UTAUT this dataset illustrates attitudes towards and usage behaviours of Moodle for both students and academics. The findings point to key similarities and differences, the latter of which departs from extant literature that suggests no difference between generations. However given the lack of support for the UTAUT model, it is suggested that theoretical models of technology acceptance and use need to evolve to appropriately capture the environment of higher education in which learning management systems such as Moodle are used.