Catharine Ross

Ethnic Minority Personnel Careers: Hindrances and Hopes

Personnel departments often have particular responsibility for equal opportunities within their organizations. This paper explores equal opportunities within personnel departments themselves, in relation to the careers of ethnic minority personnel practitioners. Through primary research, it identifies a range of criteria which can affect personnel careers, of which ethnic origin is often one. However, although being categorized as of ethnic minority origin often hinders personnel careers, the paper reveals that it is sometimes possible for individuals who are so categorized to overcome that negative effect through demonstrating some of those other criteria. Thus, the paper suggests, it is not just organizational equal opportunities practices which may provide hope for ethnic minority personnel careers but also – and perhaps more importantly – the actions of the ethnic minority individuals themselves. Ways in which personnel departments might support these actions are discussed.

The role of evidence in general managers' decision-making

This paper presents an overview of current academic theory on evidence-based management (EBM) and considers the extent to which the decision-making processes of 39 senior, general managers are consistent with this thinking. In the pursuit of this aim the study has utilised inductive reasoning, qualitative data, purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews, based upon the critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954), to obtain detailed information regarding the decision-making processes utilised by each of the interviewees in relation to their most challenging managerial situations. It has been shown that these interviewees utilised only one of the four main sources of evidence for management decision-making proposed by Briner and Rousseau (2011). In the light of this finding, ways are identified in which managers may be able to enhance their business practice by utilising more sources of evidence. In addition, the study has also identified ways in which current academic thinking needs to be developed so that it incorporates all of the practices that general managers have utilised. Finally, the implications for general managers are discussed.

Evaluating Management Training and Development in a Cross-cultural Context: A Stakeholder Approach

Purpose – This paper is to address the challenge in evaluating China’s overseas management training and development (MTD) in cross-cultural settings. It critically examines the evaluation practice of China’s overseas MTD interventions and to explore the cultural impact on training evaluation. Design/methodology/approach - This research presents an empirical study covering 526 participants who are the major stakeholders involved in China’s overseas MTD. A mix method approach is used to explore the perspectives of different stakeholders. Findings – The respondents from different stakeholder groups perceive purposes of evaluation and problems conducting evaluation differently. There are also different foci on the evaluation criteria and approaches by individual groups. The current evaluation system is based on segmented information collection and little joint effort has been found in training and evaluation. The judgement on the value and worth of China overseas MTD is culturally sensitive due to the diverse of stakeholders from different cultural background. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to two countries between China and UK for China’s MTD cross-culture initiatives. The evaluation framework is based on China’s government initiated overseas MTD programs. It may not be applicable to situations where only two parties involved in training, e.g., trainees and training providers. Practical implications – This research proposes an evaluation framework which adopts stakeholders approach and takes into consideration the cross-cultural impact on managers’ learning and development. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by investigating China’s overseas MTD activities and exploring the approaches of evaluation in the cross-cultural context.

The training of Chinese managers: a critical analysis of using overseas training for management development

Chinese policy makers are aware that developing Chinas managers is crucial to creating competitive advantage in the post-WTO period. Consequently, large numbers of Chinese managers have been sent abroad, particularly to Western and developed countries, on management training courses in order to bring new ideas and approaches to their organisations. This paper questions whether these training programmes have successfully achieved their objectives. An empirical study is adopted to invite the opinions of different stakeholder groups involved in the training process (526 participants). Specific characteristics of Chinas overseas management training are discussed and problem areas are also explored.

The contribution of academic scholarship to management development

Purpose: This paper explores the impact of academic scholarship on the development and practice of experienced managers. Design / Methodology: Semi-structured interviews with experienced managers, modelled on the critical incident technique. ‘Intertextuality’ and framework analysis technique are used to examine whether the use of academic scholarship is a sub-conscious phenomenon. Findings: Experienced managers make little direct use of academic scholarship, using it only occasionally to provide retrospective confirmation of decisions or a technique they can apply. However, academic scholarship informs their practice in an indirect way, their understanding of the ‘gist’ of scholarship comprising one of many sources which they synthesise and evaluate as part of their development process. Practical implications: Managers and management development practitioners should focus upon developing skills of synthesising the ‘gist’ of academic scholarship with other sources of data, rather than upon the detailed remembering, understanding and application of specific scholarship, and upon finding / providing the time and space for that ‘gisting’ and synthesis to take place. Originality / Value: The paper addresses contemporary concerns about the appropriateness of the material delivered on management education programmes for management development. It is original in doing this from the perspective of experienced managers, and in using intertextual analysis to reveal not only the direct but also the indirect uses of they make of such scholarship. The finding of the importance of understanding the ‘gist’ rather than the detail of academic scholarship represents a key conceptual innovation.

New Unions in the UK: The Vanguard or the Rearguard of the Union Movement?

Between January 1999 and March 2010, 34 trade unions entered the Certification Officer list or schedule in the UK. This article reports on a survey of those unions, discussing the extent to which they represent new forms of unionism and the possible implications for union revitalisation.