Paul Iles

Climate for diversity and its effects on career and organisational attitudes and perceptions

The article presents a discussion of issues of human resource diversity and diversity climates in organisations and develops a conceptual model of a “positive climate for diversity” (PCFD). This refers to the degree to which there is an organisational climate in which human resource diversity is valued and in which employees’ from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and included. It presents a model of the indicators of a positive climate for diversity and the outcomes for organisations and individuals of such a climate, especially individual career and organisational attitudes and perceptions. It also presents variables which have a moderating effect in the model. The results of research from both private and public sector organisations, with emphasis on service, indicate that climates for diversity do impact significantly on a range of career and organisational attitudes and perceptions. The research and managerial implications are discussed.

Managing diversity in transnational project teams

Discusses the value, workings and effectiveness of international project teams. Proposes a model to enable the creation of an effective team and process. Points out the need to manage diversity, intercultural differences and different nationalities. Uses a case study from Raleigh International to illustrate.

The changing relationships between work commitment, personal flexibility and employability

Suggests that commitment and flexibility have often been identified as important outcomes of HRM practice. However, the relationships between different facets of employee commitment and flexibility have not been extensively studied, while most attention has been given to organizational and labour market flexibility rather than personal flexibility. Argues that flexible organizations require senior managers who display both personal and strategic flexibility. Points out that these qualities are likely to be positively associated with some forms of commitment rather than others, at a time when there is much discussion about employability and the changing nature of psychological contracts. Presents an evaluation of a major senior manager development programme in a UK National Health Service region which was designed to enhance organizational and personal flexibility. Puts forward evidence on its impact on various facets of employee commitment, using a longitudinal/control group research design.

Learning to work with difference

Managing international and domestic diversity and learning to work with difference are increasingly becoming key managerial and organizational skills. Reviews the reasons for the growth of interest in this topic, critically analyses the claims made by practitioners in this area, and draws on two case studies of organizations attempting to develop their capabilities to work successfully with difference to develop a model of the key skills involved. Outlines some strategies by which such skills and capabilities may be developed.

Managing diversity – an employment and service delivery challenge

The UK public sector has had a long‐standing policy commitment to equal opportunities, alongside limited access to managerial positions for women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. In place of equal opportunities, a new paradigm, managing diversity, originating in the USA, has been proposed. This paper examines five areas of difference between equal opportunities and managing diversity: an internal or external driving force; an operational or strategic focus; the perception of difference; the focus of action; and finally, the epistemological basis. The paper discusses the application of this model to the public sector, discussing power and equity, the relevance of the “business case” argument, the focus on customer responsiveness, and a possible explanation for the 1980s backlash. There are case studies of an NHS Trust and a local authority. The paper discusses necessary attitudinal changes and skills to implement the managing diversity paradigm in the public sector.

Achieving Strategic Coherence in HRD through Competence‐based Management and Organization Development

Human resource management (HRM), in contrast to “personnel management” and “personnel administration”, is often held to be proactive rather than reactive, strategic rather than tactical, and integrated with corporate strategy rather than marginal or peripheral. Argues that it is important to distinguish several dimensions of “integration” ‐internal, external and institutional – and that the strategic integration of human resource development (HRD) is achievable through the adoption of career‐focused, competence‐based models. However, existing competence frameworks are criticized for their generic character, their retrospective orientation, their abstract nature and their focus on the individual job rather than the career stream or wider organizational role. Prospective, organization‐specific, anchored, collaborative and career‐focused models seem more promising vehicles for achieving not only “internal integration” – the consistent, coherent application of a range of HR policy levers – but also “external ...

Across the great divide: HRD, technology translation, and knowledge migration in bridging the knowledge gap between SMEs and Universities

Knowledge is increasingly claimed to be a key critical resource and source of competitive advantage in the modern global economy, especially with the rise of the service economy, the growth in the number of knowledge workers, the increasingly rapid flow of global information, and the growing recognition of the importance of intellectual capital and intellectual property rights. It is also increasingly claimed that all organizations will have to excel at creating, exploiting, applying, and mobilizing knowledge. The resourcebased view of the firm suggests that organizations will need to be able combine distinctive, sustainable, and superior assets, including sources of knowledge and information, with complementary competencies in leadership and human resource management and development to fully realize the value of their knowledge. Issues include how organizations should be structured to promote knowledge creation and mobilization and how to develop a culture and set of HRD policies and practices that harness knowledge and leverage it to meet objectives. It is often asserted that many SMEs in particular appear to be failing to exploit the information, knowledge, and skills in the knowledge base (KB) embodied in higher education, research institutes, and large companies. Technology translators, able to act as intermediaries between the SME and the KB - in a sense, as brokers and facilitators of learning, using interpersonal, creative, and functional skills - were seen as one response to this challenge. This paper describes one project aimed at developing such technology translators, and presents a model of viable knowledge management and HRD in SMEs developed after critical reflection on this case study. A research agenda for the study of SME-HE collaboration and other kinds of partnerships, such as alliances, mergers, and joint ventures, using the knowledge-creation cycle and knowledge typology developed in the paper is also outlined.

Sustainable high‐potential career development: a resource‐based view

Recent developments in restructuring, delayering, downsizing and flexible employment strategies have cast doubt on traditional models of high‐potential career development, especially high‐flyer or fast‐track programmes. In the career management field, the debate has focused on changes in the psychological contract, employability, and career resilience; however, a number of problems can be identified with these formulations, and proposes alternative approaches based on the resource‐based view of the firm and on sustainable development in radical environmentalism. Empirical research on de‐railing, expansiveness and empowerment suggests that current models of high‐potential career management generate problems both for organizations and individuals, as do current attempts by organizations to unilaterally re‐negotiate psychological contracts. Concludes by presenting alternative conceptions of high‐potential career development that may generate greater sustainability in career management for both individuals and organizations.

Managing learning climates in a financial services organisation

This study explores learning climates within a financial services organisation. Through the use of survey and case study strategies and analysis of secondary data available within the organisation, it assesses the current state of individual, team and organisational learning in the organisation and the managers’ roles in promoting a learning climate. The conclusions drawn from this research lead to recommendations for a series of actions, which, if adopted, would help to establish the need for a learning climate and a wider and deeper understanding of the nature of learning in the organisation. Initial practical steps are outlined to put into place activities that would add value to the organisation, enhance its learning capabilities and develop its learning climate. Research implications are also discussed.

Enhancing Global Learning and Change in Multicultural Organizations through Valuing Diversity in Project Teams

In recent years there has been an increasing level of speculation and research on the need for managers and other key staff to work productively with others: whether working with people from other functions in interdepartmental, cross-functional or integrative project teams and task forces, managing across borders in culturally and nationally diverse strategic alliances and partnerships and transnational organizations (see for example Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1989), or working in organizations characterized by increasing gender, racial, ethnic, physical ability and other forms of diversity (for example Kandola and Fullerton, 1994). Often team members hold very different theoretical perspectives and assumptions, use different languages (for example resident vs client vs patient vs. customer), employ different standards as to what counts as evidence (for example objective/quantitative vs intuitive/qualitative), and hold different expectations of one another’s roles.