Erica L. French

Approaches to Equity Management and their Relationship to Women in Management

Developing equitable practices that provide fair access for all individuals to the benefits and burdens within an organization remains a dilemma for management both in policy and in practice. Research continues to show that the employment status and representation for members of some groups is significantly less than in relation to those of other groups. Addressing the issue of disparity has resulted in a number of different approaches. The main aim of this paper is to explore the ability of a typological theory of equal employment opportunity implementation to account for the differences in the numbers of women in management and in management tiers. This paper identifies and analyses four ideal-typical equity management approaches to achieving workplace parity: traditional (non-compliance), anti-discrimination, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. While the objective of these approaches may be to ensure equity management in order to encourage equal outcomes the results tell a different story. Results show that an affirmative action approach to equity management predicts increases in women in management across all tiers of management.

A culture of conflict

The effects of culture on the performance of an organization depend, not on the strength of the overall culture, but on the mix and weightings of the components of that culture. An example is the component of conflict, which may be a healthy incentive for action and competition when present in some forms and degrees, but can be damaging when it becomes the culture’s dominant feature and its existence is not acknowledged. Research theory in the management of non‐profits emphasizes the need for consonance and deplores the existence of conflict; however, research shows that some community organizations do not fit the model presented in the literature and that conflict does exist in these organizations and can cripple their ability to function in goal‐setting, staffing, the conduct of meetings, problem solving and decision making, the identification and utilization of individual skills, and writing submissions for government funding. Uses the example of a small, non‐profit organization, which works in an environment where there is a need for unity, but where conflict between the volunteers and paid workers, and among the volunteers themselves, had become the over‐riding consideration in all decision making and was paralysing the organization.

Lament of the ignored expatriate: An examination of organisational and social network support for female expatriates in China

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between gender and the individual and social aspects of expatriate work, emphasising how issues external to the organisation impact on the experience of female expatriates. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 102 male respondents and 44 female respondents were surveyed in order to test the perceived organisational support, career satisfaction, and expatriate social support. Findings – Significant gender-related differences were identified in all three areas with notable contradiction in the perception and practice of how multinational corporations (MNCs) manage their expatriates. While earlier research suggested that organisations perceived their treatment of female expatriates to be equivalent to that of men, the results indicate that female international managers do not perceive equal treatment on international assignments. Research limitations/implications – Although based on a smaller sample than other international studies, the gender breakdown was sufficient for moderated regression testing. Practical implications – As the expatriate social support construct is largely exploratory in nature, future research could examine the effect of perceived expatriate social support on other related workplace behaviours, both domestically and internationally, including work-life balance and diversity management. Originality/value – While other studies have provided a rich descriptive picture of the gendered nature of expatriation, little research has attempted to quantify the reasons behind the phenomenon.

Individual change transition: moving in circles can be good for you

Argues that it is both pertinent and timely that investigations be made into the dynamics of individual change. Much of the literature refers to change as a societal/cultural issue or an organization issue. Moreover, the approaches to managing complex change have been developed at a group or a systems level, seldom recognizing that it is the individual who confronts and solves the problems of change and ultimately accepts or rejects the change. Provides a literature review of the current models of individual change transition and identifies several assumptions on which they are built. Explores evidence that refutes these assumptions, which encourages the construction of a new model of individual change transition. This new model identifies four phases through which individuals pass to regain their own level of security. Suggests that the proposed new model offers managers, change agents, researchers and individuals alike a valuable way of describing and understanding individual change transition, as well as identifying avenues for intervention in the process.

Equal opportunity outcomes for women in the finance industry in Australia: Evaluating the merit of EEO plans

This paper investigates equity programs in the finance and insurance industry to identify the approach to implementing equal employment opportunity used by Australian organisations. The research uses data from organisational reports submitted to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency in order to identify issues in one industry, and link organisational approach to equal opportunity with the employment status of women. Despite the high numbers of women employed in this female-dominated industry, there are limited numbers of women in management. The findings show no correlation between the equal opportunity approach used and numbers of women in management.

Managing equity: structure, policy and justice influences

This paper outlines the methods and outcomes of a study into equity management strategies in Australian private sector organisations reporting to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA). Reports from 1,976 organisations indicate 11 key factors characterising equity management in Australia. The study highlights differences within previously identified social structural policies, temperamental and opportunity policies and identifies a further policy type, categorised as “support policies”. Differences have also been identified in relation to distribution structures, suggesting that gender is not the sole consideration in determining equity management strategies. The justice principle of distribution also figures strongly in equity management implementation.

The Diversity Management Approach to Equal Employment Opportunity in Australian Organisations

This article assesses the ‘Managing Diversity’ (MD) approach in Australia, examining its drivers, discussing its relationship to legislation designed to promote equity, and examining it as a set of management practices. It has been plausibly argued, on efficiency grounds, that responsibility for achieving equality objectives must be shifted to organisations as this links contextual conditions to organisational processes. However, even where there is some prescription and guidance such as that provided by Australian Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) legislation targeted specifically to women employees, both practice and outcomes are variable. This is even more the case with MD where there are no guiding principles or legislative support. The article examines the best practice EEO and MD programs of Australian organisations to demonstrate the approaches and programs that are being developed at the workplace and to highlight the limitations of the ‘business case’ approach underlying such programs.

Cross-Cultural Diversity, Leadership and Workplace Relations in Australia

Australia, as a multicultural society, faces many challenges, not the least of which is that of coping with increasing cultural diversity in the workplace, and - as the global trend continues, even accelerates, in the new millennium - managing cross-cultural issues will become more and more of a priority. The specific cultural diversity issue considered in this contribution is the relationship between perceived leadership behaviour and subordinate job satisfaction in two different cultural groups, Vietnamese and Australian. The validity of the leadership and job satisfaction theories in cultures other than the ones in which they originated is challenged, and it is argued that the change in business environments such as globalization, international mergers and acquisitions, and diverse cultural workforces has made the universal assumptions of these theories questionable.

The practice of quality in assuring learning in higher education

There remains a lack of published empirical data on the substantive outcomes of higher learning and the establishment of quality processes for determining them. Studies that do exist are nationally focused with available rankings of institutions reflecting neither the quality of teaching and learning nor the diversity of institutions. This article describes two studies in which associate deans from Australian higher education institutions and focus groups of management and academics identify current issues and practices in the design, development and implementation of processes for assuring the quality of learning and teaching. Results indicate that developing graduate attributes and mapping assessments to measure outcomes across an entire programme necessitates knowledge creation strategies and systems as well as inclusive decision processes. Common elements supporting consistently superior outcomes include inclusivity of a range of teaching and support academics; embedded graduate attributes; consistent and appropriate assessment; digital collection mechanisms; and systematic analysis of outcomes used in programme review.

The Impact of Socialisation on Graduates’ Public Service Motivation – a Mixed Method Study

The need to attract and retain a high calibre cadre of public servants today has resulted in a renaissance of interest in public service motivation (PSM) within public management literature. This article outlines a study of PSM with graduate employees within an Australian public sector. The study extends our understanding of PSM by adopting a longitudinal, mixed method design, including surveys and individual interviews, to consider the effects of socialisation on levels of PSM. Results show an organisations mission and values do not affect individual PSM while work type and communication style is vital and organisational socialisation can provide a negative influence.