Andrew J. Templer

Adapting training for older employees

Purpose – The workforce is aging in all industrialized nations and the retention of older workers will become one of the dominant issues in the coming decades. Training is an important component of retention and the availability of training is critical for retaining older workers. Design/methodology/approach – Studies conducted in 2001 and 2003 assessed the extent to which Canadian organizations are adapting their training practices to respond to the aging workforce. Human resource executives were asked the extent to which their organization was currently engaging in training practices targeting older managerial and professional employees.Findings – Organizations were most likely to be providing access to training and retraining, but fewer than 10 percent of the organizations in 2003 were highly engaged in doing this. Organizations were less likely to be adjusting training methods to accommodate the needs of older employees. There was little attempt to provide age awareness training to managers of older e...

Antecedents of older workers' motives for continuing to work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify demographic and work‐related antecedents of the motives that influence the decision of older workers to remain in the workforce.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional study was conducted with three groups of respondents aged 50‐70 years: those in their career job (n=395); those employed in a bridge job (n=195); and those who were self‐employed (n=174).Findings – In general, the demographic variables (age, gender, marital status) predicted the financial motive for continuing to work whereas the work‐related variables (work centrality, career satisfaction, and perceived contribution/perceived reward of owning ones own business) predicted the work fulfillment and generativity motives. However, the pattern of relationships differed across the three groups of older workers.Research limitations/implications – The three groups could not be directly compared because of differences in some of the measures. Only one variable, work centrality, was a signif...

Development of Non‐traditional Work Sites: The Challenge of Telecommuting

The growth of telecommuting is occurring at an ever‐expanding rate and bringing with it the challenge to organizations to enhance development opportunities for both telecommuters and their managers. Reports a survey of the use of telecommuting by a sample of 91 companies among the top 1,000 firms in Canada. Found that telecommuting is typically introduced for reasons of economic efficiency, and little thought is given to the development needs of telecommuting employees despite a clear need for telecommuting expertise. Concludes that telecommuting will bring significant changes in management‐employee relationships and the need for new designs in human resource development programmes.

The Response of Canadian Public and Private Sector Human Resource Professionals to the Challenge of the Aging Workforce

Upper-level HR managers in 493 public and private sector organizations provided information about the extent to which their organization is actively engaging in HR activities directed at recruiting and retaining older managerial and professional employees. Currently, 50 percent or more of the organizations are not engaging in 14 of the 20 HR practices although greater use of these practices is expected in the future. Public sector and larger organizations were more likely to be engaging in practices designed to meet the challenge of the aging workforce than private sector and smaller organizations.

The Challenge of Management Development in South Africa: So Little Time and So Much to Do

Seeks to provide understanding of the challenges facing management development in South Africa in the next decade: a desperate shortage of managerial skills; a particular need for trained Black managers to fill the opportunities that are opening up. Describes management development techniques and programmes offered in South Africa, and the kinds of institutions and organizations that offer them. Suggests that, despite the need, surprisingly little Black management development has been accomplished, and what has been done has often not addressed the marginal position in which many Black managers find themselves, nor used effective techniques which adequately match local culture. Draws on the authors′ research, and personal work experience in South Africa, for recommendations for improving South African management development programmes in the 1990s.

An international comparison of human resource management objectives and activities

The paper reports on mailed surveys of human resource professionals in Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe who were asked for their views on the priorities they set in terms of human resource objectives and activities. Respondents were also asked to indicate the challenges facing the field and the resulting changes that may be required in each country. The results indicate considerable agreement between the three countries on the need for flexibility and cost effectiveness, but disagreement on priorities among some other activities. There are major differences between perceptions of immediate and long-term priorities to be set. There is a concern that short-term efficiency may be accorded a priority which prevents due consideration being given to future development and societal issues.

Using self-concept theory to identify and develop volunteer leader potential in healthcare

Resource constraints in the Canadian publicly funded healthcare system have created a need for more volunteer leaders to effectively manage other volunteers. Self-concept theory has been conceptualized and applied within a volunteer context, and the views of healthcare stakeholders, such as volunteers, volunteer leaders, and supervisors, triangulated to form an understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of volunteer leaders. We propose that leaders are differentiated from others by how they view their roles in the organization and their ability to make a difference in these roles. This interpretation can be informed by self-concept theory because each individuals notion of self-concept influences how employees see themselves, how they react to experiences, and how they allow these experiences to shape their motivation. A small case study profiles a volunteer leader self-concept that includes a proactive, learning-oriented attitude, capitalizing on significant prior work experience to fulfill a sense of obligation to the institution and its patients, and demands a high level of respect from paid employees.

Measuring Managerial Power: A South African Cross-Cultural Validation

The value of managerial power as a basis for organization analysis is considered and measurement difficulties proposed as a reason for its relative neglect by practitioners. Alternative approaches to the operationalization of managerial power are outlined and the need for demonstrated cross-cultural validity emphasized. Two measures of managerial power are applied to a matched sample of 168 Black and 168 White supervisory level employees in 17 South African organizations. A questionnaire measure but not an interview index is found to be reliable and to replicate the factor structure obtained in its application to a United States sample. Implications for further research in South Africa using the instruments are drawn from the findings.