Ronan Carbery

Predicting hotel managers’ turnover cognitions

This paper reports the findings of a study which tested a model that predicts the turnover cognitions of hotel managers. Several predictor variables of turnover intentions were identified: perceived psychological contract breach and felt violation; organisational commitment; career expectations; perceived managerial competencies; job satisfaction, career identity and career satisfaction; demographic and human capital characteristics; and organisational characteristics. A total of 14 hypotheses were tested. The study findings (based on a sample of 89 hotel managers), reveal that a number of variables significantly predict turnover cognitions. These findings do not correspond with the normative predictions found in the hospitality literature. The findings reveal that it is the more psychological, perceptual and affective variables that are most significant in explaining turnover intentions. The findings highlight the types of variables that are important in managing the expectations of hotel managers and from the perspective of the hotel as employer, the types of issues that should be considered to enable better retention of high performing managers.

Mapping talent development: definition, scope and architecture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of talent development, define its scope and identify the issues involved in formulating talent development strategies in organisations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the relatively scant and fragmented literature on talent development processes.Findings – The literature review revealed that talent development is usually discussed as part of a wider talent management process. The literature highlights issues concerning who is the talent to be developed, what competencies should be developed, who drives development, what is the appropriate pace of development and what is the architecture to support the development.Research limitations/implications – The paper is solely theoretical in nature; however, it does identify gaps for further research.Practice implications – The paper raises a number of important questions that should be considered by organisations when they engage in talent development.Originality/value – The paper contr...

Managing intentionally created communities of practice for knowledge sourcing across organisational boundaries: Insights on the role of the CoP manager

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore strategies used by communities of practice (CoPs) managers when managing intentionally created CoPs.Design/methodology/approach – Four intentionally created CoPs in Ireland are explored, using a qualitative research design with data from observation, interviews and analysis of documents.Findings – The study identified a number of specific strategies CoP managers use to develop trust, facilitate collaboration, facilitate the negotiation of shared meaning and manage power issues within the CoP. These strategies were shared by the four managers who participated in the study.Research limitations/implications – The study is based on a small sample of managers in Ireland. The context and process imposed constraints and the findings are context specific which implications for the application of findings to other CoPs.Originality/value – The study highlights the concept of CoP is not confined to traditional understandings but includes intentionally created highl...

Understanding participation in e‐learning in organizations: a large‐scale empirical study of employees

Much remains unknown in the increasingly important field of e-learning in organizations. Drawing on a large-scale survey of employees (N = 557) who had opportunities to participate in voluntary e-learning activities, the factors influencing participation in e-learning are explored in this empirical paper. It is hypothesized that key variables derived from the theories of planned behaviour and instructional design – general-person characteristics, motivation to learn, general and task-specific self-efficacy, situational barriers and enablers, and instructional design characteristics – will predict participation in e-learning. Using structural equation modelling, we find statistical support for the overall theoretical model proposed. We discuss the implications for practice.

Organisational Restructuring and Downsizing: Issues Related to Learning, Training and Employability of Survivors.

Purpose – This article sets out to look at how employees who have survived an organisational downsizing and restructuring process adjust to meet the dynamics of the organisation, develop new skills and competencies, and the extent to which they take on new roles in the organisation.Design/methodology/approach – Collects accounts from managers, focusing on exploring the skills and competencies that survivors had to develop, and the attitudes they had to embrace in respect of learning and employment. Explores issues relating to the employability of professional employees and their motivation to learning and willingness to participate in learning that was more tacit and non‐formal in nature.Findings – Provides information in respect of learning processes and responsibilities. Highlights the onus on individuals to take responsibility for their own learning needs and initiate training and development needs. Suggests that self‐development skills were of particular importance in making the transition.Research li...

Through the looking glass: challenges for human resource development (HRD) post the global financial crisis – business as usual?

An important question for human resource development (HRD) concerns how its practices may have contributed to the global financial crisis. Commentators have highlighted that HRD must take some of the blame. First, we consider whether HRDs traditional role of contributor through performance-based development interventions, may have facilitated questionable practices in organizations. Second, we reflect on whether HRD was an irrelevant spectator through being benign and impotent; rather than challenging the status quo in organizations. Third, we contemplate the protagonist role and argue that HRD practitioners pursued short-term performance-based wealth maximizing objectives with scant regard for the long-term organizational or societal impact. We conclude by considering how HRD scholars can engage tomorrows business leaders in critical reflection and how HRD practitioners can pursue a strategic decoupling position which allows for challenging the status quo without alienating their professional status in the organization and ethical standing in practice.

Mapping the Context and Practice of Training, Development and HRD in European Call Centres.

Purpose – Utilising data from 18 in‐depth case studies, this study seeks to explore training, development and human resource development (HRD) practices in European call centres. It aims to argue that the complexity and diversity of training, development and HRD practices is best understood by studying the multilayered contexts within which call centres operate. Call centres operate as open systems and training, development and HRD practices are influenced by environmental, strategic, organisational and temporal conditions.Design/methodology/approach – The study utilised a range of research methods, including in‐depth interviews with multiple stakeholders, documentary analysis and observation. The study was conducted over a two‐year period.Findings – The results indicate that normative models of HRD are not particularly valuable and that training, development and HRD in call centres is emergent and highly complex.Originality/value – This study represents one of the first studies to investigate training an...

Conceptualizing the Participation of Managers in Career-Focused Learning and Development: A Framework

Protean, boundaryless, authentic, and portfolio careers increasingly challenge managers to be proactive and self-regulated. Managers are expected to manage their careers, develop employability, and continually learn. This article proposes a conceptual framework to explain manager participation in career-focused learning and development. It proposes that participation by managers in career-focused learning and development should be understood in terms of the relationship between individual agency and context. The authors suggest three levels to their framework and identify ensuing implications for research and practice.

Understanding and Preventing Dysfunctional Behavior in Organizations Conceptualizing the Contribution of Human Resource Development

We review the literature on dysfunctional behavior in organizations and illuminate the potential contribution of human resource development (HRD) to manage such behavior and contribute to strong governance and compliance. The impetus for this article comes from evidence of dysfunctional behavior in banking and financial organizations in many countries in recent times. We define dysfunctional behavior at individual, organizational, and institutional levels of analysis and propose a model of HRD to address dysfunctional behavior at these levels. HRD potentially plays four key roles in the context of managing and/or preventing dysfunctional behavior: development of employee awareness and skills; effective governance of HRD practices, structures, and delivery mechanisms; development of an ethical governance culture and climate and a more far-reaching role than that of organizational governance and agency mediation that minimizes the possibility of dysfunctional organizational behavior. We conclude with a discussion of HRD research and practice implications.

The Global Financial and Economic Crisis Did HRD Play a Role

The Problem The Global Financial and Economic Crisis1 starting in 2007 and its resultant impact has called into question the contribution of Human Resource Development (HRD) strategies and practices to the crisis. With its primary focus on the development of human resources, it could be argued that HRD aligned itself too closely with the strategic goals of organizations, often times profit centric, and failed to provide leaders with the skills, knowledge, and values required to question the decisions made by organizations in the pursuit of profit goals and the development of a culture of risk taking. The Solution Utilizing Cognitive Appraisal Theory (CAT), this article draws on the official reports and public inquiry hearings in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland into the financial crisis and finds that HRD strategies, practices, and processes are factors which may have contributed to a culture of excessive risk taking and ineffective decision making. We outline the implications for HRD theory and practice. The Stakeholders The research findings inform a multiplicity of stakeholders including organizational behaviorists, social psychologists, government bodies, educational organizations, and scholars researching strategic HRD in organizations.