Lesley Willcoxson

“It’s not Fair!”: Assessing the Dynamics and Resourcing of Teamwork:

Team-based assessments are commonly used in management education, yet questions remain about how to adequately differentiate individuals’ levels of input into team processes and project content when grading a team-based assessment. Following an overview of relevant research, this article describes an innovative self- and peer-assessment strategy that may be used initially to develop team dynamics, team management skills, and project planning and resourcing skills, and subsequently to accurately assess individuals’ contributions to team dynamics, team management, and project planning and resourcing.

Factors affecting intention to leave in the first, second and third year of university studies: a semester‐by‐semester investigation

As most research into attrition and retention has focused on attrition during the first year of studies, we know little about the relationship between students’ experience of subsequent years and their decisions to withdraw from university. This paper addresses this gap in research by examining the relationship between students’ intention to withdraw from studies and their experience of university in each of the three years of Business degree studies. This empirical research indicates that the factors affecting intention to withdraw are differentiated not only by year but also by semester of study.

Testing the accuracy of the IT stereotype: profiling IT managers' personality and behavioural characteristics

Recent literature has identified many communication and leadership inadequacies amongst senior IT managers and consequent breakdowns in the IT/business relationship. This paper goes beyond the largely anecdotally based evidence presented to date; it uses psychometric testing to investigate the personal and behavioural characteristics of IT managers and compare these with reported characteristics of business managers. The results indicate significant differences related to issues of control and consequent leadership behaviour and task/relationship orientation. It is speculated that IT managers with the personality characteristics identified in this study may tend to position IT in a service rather than a strategic role and experience greater difficulties in negotiating the IT/business relationship.

A Whole-of-program Approach to the Development of Generic and Professional Skills in a University Accounting Program

This paper describes a strategy for conducting a whole-of-program review of the teaching of generic skills in a university Accounting program. Importantly, the strategy also builds the longer-term capacity of accounting staff to maintain the relevance and coherence of their program. In a systematic process, Accounting staff first map the courses they teach, ensuring alignment between generic skills and objectives, and objectives and teaching and assessment activities. On the basis of the individual course maps, an Accounting program map is then developed. The information contained in the program map is subsequently analysed to provide data about the depth to which generic skills are being taught. This analysis underpins a review of the teaching of generic skills by all academic staff teaching on the Accounting program and, as discussed, can lead to changes in objectives, teaching activities and teaching methods. The strategy thus builds in academic staff an awareness of and the capacity to apply effective course design principles while at the same time improving generic skill learning outcomes for students.

Progress in the IT/business relationship: a longitudinal assessment

This paper investigates perceptions of the IT/business relationship held by 653 IT managers and their staff and 503 of their business counterparts. On the basis of data collected over a 3-year period using a survey instrument, the paper highlights areas of perceived difficulty in the IT/business relationship and seeks evidence of trends in the business/IT relationship. The data reveal significant differences in the perceptions of business managers and those of IT professionals, especially with respect to issues of IT system efficacy and communication efficacy. Both cohorts demonstrate increasing awareness of the importance of IT as a driver of business activity, as well as comparable upward or downward trends in response on issues relating to ITs alignment with business strategy and communication efficacy, but only the first mentioned issue is identified as a statistically significant trend.

Developing teaching and changing organisational culture through grass-roots leadership

Much of the literature relating to organisational change within academic departments focusses upon the role of the academic leader in creating an appropriate environment and process for change. Often scant attention is paid to the role of other individuals in impeding or facilitating change. This paper provides a case study of teaching development and change based in considerations of organisational culture as conceptualised by Schein (1985). It details the strategies used by a small group of junior academics to challenge the existing organisational culture and, through a focus on teaching improvement, achieve personal reward, organisational growth and the creation of a new but complemtary organisational culture. From the case study is drawn a list of key factors of relevance to academics or staff developers interested in initiating or supporting a grass-roots movement for change.

Valuing Teaching: A Strategy for Changing the Organisational Culture of an Academic Department.

Although government funding initiatives can provide an immediate incentive for the development of good teaching practices, ongoing and widespread improvement in the quality of teaching and learning is likely to occur only when the organisational culture of academic departments is such that good teaching is held in those departments to be a fundamental and shared value rather than primarily an individual responsibility. This paper describes the organisational development strategies used within one large academic department to bring about a reassessment of the role and practice of teaching and support the subsequent implementation of teaching‐related reforms. It examines the role of leadership, devolved responsibility and consultation in effecting change in both the practice of teaching and the organisational culture of a department.

Leading, managing and participating in inter-university teaching grant collaborations

In this paper we examine the leadership and management of multi-university collaborations funded by national teaching grants. The paper commences with a review of literature relating to stages of project development, key operational issues, impediments to collaboration and the leadership and management of teaching grant collaborations. Finally, we explore critical success factors in teaching grant collaborations from three perspectives – those of leader, manager and team member.