Sabina Siebert

All work and no pay: consequences of unpaid work in the creative industries

This research note evaluates the benefits and pitfalls of unpaid work as an entry route into employment in the creative industries and investigates the consequences of this practice for those who already work in the sector. Based on a qualitative study of perspectives of stakeholders in unpaid work, this article argues that the social capital thesis, often used as a rationale for unpaid work, inadequately explains the practice of unpaid work experience, primarily because it does not take cognisance of the consequences of this practice for other people working in the sector. The study also highlights methodological issues that need to be considered in the future. As well as the importance of a plurality of stakeholder perspectives, the study emphasizes the need to consider the perspectives of those who are excluded from unpaid work and those who are potentially displaced by it.

Reflection in work-based learning: self-regulation or self-liberation?

This article considers the role of reflective practice in work-based learning in higher education. The benefits of using reflection for learning at work have been widely recognised and the pedagogy to support reflection is now established. However, the use of reflective practice has been subjected to considerable critique, and many of the criticisms draw on Michel Foucaults concepts of governmentality, pastoral power, confession and self-regulation. Drawing on our professional experiences of supporting students in undertaking reflection, we examine the general critique put forward. Having considered the case that reflection supports self-regulation in a way which disadvantages individuals while benefiting organisations, we argue that reflection can be used to empower individuals. We do this by drawing attention to the elements of Foucaults argument which include the importance of agency in the exercise of power.

Looking ‘Beyond the Factory Gates’: Towards more Pluralist and Radical Approaches to Intraorganizational Trust Research

The aim of this paper is to suggest new avenues for trust research by critiquing the extant literature on this topic. We analyse the most influential research on intraorganizational trust from the perspective of a classic industrial sociology framework from the 1970s – Alan Fox’s work on frames of reference and trust dynamics. Our analysis of intraorganizational trust studies leads us to three conclusions. First, the large majority of intraorganizational trust research has strong unitarist underpinnings, which support a managerial agenda that is potentially detrimental to employees’ (and indeed managers’) long-term interests. Second, most of this research fails to explain how trust in organizations is embedded in societal and field-level institutions, hence it would benefit from looking ‘beyond the factory gates’ for a more complete understanding of trust dynamics in organizations. In this connection, we argue that Fox’s pluralist and radical perspectives, which are under-represented in intraorganizational trust research, could provide new lines of inquiry by locating internal trust relations in a wider institutional context. Third, Fox’s explanation of how low and high trust dynamics in organizations are embedded in wider society may help address the concerns about under-socialized, endogenous explanations and open the way for structure-agency analyses of building, maintaining and repairing intraorganizational trust.

Overflow in science and its implications for trust

To explore increasing concerns about scientific misconduct and data irreproducibility in some areas of science, we interviewed a number of senior biomedical researchers. These interviews revealed a perceived decline in trust in the scientific enterprise, in large part because the quantity of new data exceeds the fields ability to process it appropriately. This phenomenon—which is termed ‘overflow’ in social science—has important implications for the integrity of modern biomedical science.

Conflicting values in reflection on professional practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of reflection as a tool of enquiry within the context of higher education work-based learning. The aim of the study is to investigate how reflection on professional practice brings about a review of the values underpinning that practice. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from a group of undergraduate students undertaking their studies by work-based learning in the area of management in a Scottish University. An open-ended questionnaire was designed to learn about the participants’ views on their perceived freedom to reflect on their workplace practice in the university, their ability to challenge the organizational values and established practices in the workplace, and on their relationship with the workplace mentor. Findings – Students on work-based learning programmes are subjected to demands from at least three directions: first, their own expectations, in terms of both what they want to achieve by way of their own developmen...

The Quest for Autonomy: A Foucauldian Perspective on Work-Based Research.

The relationship between the workplace, the researcher and the university is of a complex nature and all three stakeholders have their own influences on work‐based learning. Defining the relationship between the stakeholders provokes a consideration of the issue of power, since power relations within a workplace can affect the reliability of findings. The organisational context and conflict of interest might pose a risk of the academic investigation being compromised. Following from Foucaults conclusion that the pursuit of personal autonomy in education is destined to fail, this article argues that autonomy of the researcher in the workplace can only be guaranteed by a robust defence of academic rigour by the academy in the support it offers the learner.

Reputational challenges for business schools: a contextual perspective

Purpose – The dominant variance theory approaches to researching business school reputations are based on a positivistic hypothetico‐deductive research methodology and do not adequately take into account either the different levels and types of contexts in which business schools operate or the diversity of stakeholder interests. The aim of this paper is to propose a more relevant contextualised framework for analysing the reputation of business schools that takes cognisance of the national business systems, industry/sector, university and relational contexts of the different stakeholders involved in socially constructing and enacting business school reputations. The authors also seek to explore the tensions between these often competing or unaligned agendas of stakeholders in business schools.Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that proposes a contextualised framework for analysing the reputation of business schools. It reviews the current state of theory on business schools’ reputati...

Are trade unions learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether a university‐based conception of learning in the workplace might bridge the differences that separate the critics and advocates of workplace learning promoted by trade unions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses the role of work‐based learning in trade unions.Findings – For trade unions the meaning of workplace learning is a contested area. Critics associate it with a corporate oriented policy of upskilling the workforce, premised on a simplified, firm‐specific notion of the human capital theory. In contrast, advocates of workplace learning promoted by trade unions consider it an opportunity to develop the basic and higher level skills of members while revitalising the movement. This paper proposes a way forward for union involvement in work‐based learning that tackles the concerns of radical trade unionists and fulfils the hopes of advocates, namely to work in collaboration with universities.Originality/value – The literature on the ...

Multiple and multidimensional transitions from trainee to trained doctor: A qualitative longitudinal study in the UK

Objectives To explore trainee doctors’ experiences of the transition to trained doctor, we answer three questions: (1) What multiple and multidimensional transitions (MMTs) are experienced as participants move from trainee to trained doctor? (2) What facilitates and hinders doctors’ successful transition experiences? (3) What is the impact of MMTs on trained doctors? Design A qualitative longitudinal study underpinned by MMT theory. Setting Four training areas (health boards) in the UK. Participants 20 doctors, 19 higher-stage trainees within 6 months of completing their postgraduate training and 1 staff grade, associate specialist or specialty doctor, were recruited to the 9-month longitudinal audio-diary (LAD) study. All completed an entrance interview, 18 completed LADs and 18 completed exit interviews. Methods Data were analysed cross-sectionally and longitudinally using thematic Framework Analysis. Results Participants experienced a multiplicity of expected and unexpected, positive and negative work-related transitions (eg, new roles) and home-related transitions (eg, moving home) during their trainee–trained doctor transition. Factors facilitating or inhibiting successful transitions were identified at various levels: individual (eg, living arrangements), interpersonal (eg, presence of supportive relationships), systemic (eg, mentoring opportunities) and macro (eg, the curriculum provided by Medical Royal Colleges). Various impacts of transitions were also identified at each of these four levels: individual (eg, stress), interpersonal (eg, trainees’ children spending more time in childcare), systemic (eg, spending less time with patients) and macro (eg, delayed start in trainees’ new roles). Conclusions Priority should be given to developing supportive relationships (both formal and informal) to help trainees transition into their trained doctor roles, as well as providing more opportunities for learning. Further longitudinal qualitative research is now needed with a longer study duration to explore transition journeys for several years into the trained doctor role.

Organizational Trust Repair

Organizational trust is a fundamental building block of organizations. However, as the recent corporate governance crises demonstrate, trust is often very difficult to restore once broken (Kramer & Lewicki, 2009). Understanding how organizational trust can be repaired has become an important topic for researchers in organization studies, as well as for practitioners (Bachmann, Gillespie & Priem, 2015; Kramer & Lewicki, 2010). A recent example that high lights the practical focus of this work is the emissions scandal at Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Group built their reputation on manufacturing environmentally friendly cars pledging that by 2018 the company would be the world’s most environmentally friendly car manufacturer. Yet in May 2015, it was revealed that Volkswagen vehicles were producing emissions up to 40 times higher than the US legal limit. The report prompted regulatory investigations and, in September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to installing ‘defeat devices’ in their vehicles that sensed test situations and put the vehicle into a ‘test mode’ running the engine below normal power and performance. On the road, however, the test mode was switched off, and the car emitted much higher pollutants. The revelation sent a shockwave across Volkswagen’s stakeholders, undermining trust, casting a crippling blow to the company’s reputation and exposing the company to billions in recall costs, fines and potential criminal charges.