Tonette S. Rocco

Exploring employee engagement from the employee perspective: implications for HRD

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine an employees unique experience of being engaged in their work.Design/methodology/approach – Following Yins case study design method, researchers collected documents, conducted semi‐structured interviews and recorded observations at a large multinational service corporation ranked as one of the best places to work. Post data collection, content analysis is used to interpret engagement efforts and experiences. Work by Kahn and Maslow are integrated as conceptual frameworks.Findings – Post analysis, three themes emerged: relationship development and attachment to co‐workers, workplace climate and opportunities for learning. Findings highlighted the development of relationships in the workplace, the importance of an employees direct manager and their role in shaping organizational culture and the critical role of learning in an engaged employees interpretation of their work. Scaffolding and discussion of an emergent model is provided.Research limitations/i...

Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions

This essay starts with a discussion of the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as components of a manuscript. This discussion includes similarities and distinctions among these components and their relation to other sections of a manuscript such as the problem statement, discussion, and implications. The essay concludes with an overview of the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as separate types of manuscripts. Understanding similarities and differences among the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework can help novice and experienced researchers in organizing, conceptualizing, and conducting their research, whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods.

Workplace Commitment: A Conceptual Model Developed from Integrative Review of the Research.

This article investigates the previous research and theories of workplace commitment using content analysis and concept mapping. It provides a conceptual model of workplace commitment, integrating the literature on organizational commitment, occupational/career commitment, and individual commitment. The significance of this article lies in the integration of the extant literature on commitment and the development of a conceptual model of workplace commitment and related propositions derived from the literature. The article discusses interventions that can be used by human resource development (HRD) researchers and practitioners to improve organizational performance by developing workplace commitment in the organization.

Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement : A Review of the Locus of Control Construct

One aspect of personality, perceptions of internal versus external control of reinforcement, shifts under conditions of change.This review of the literature examines the relationship between planned organizational change and locus of control. The review includes literature from the disciplines of clinical and social psychology, adult development, education and learning theory, business and management, and human resource development (HRD). The discussion closes with implications for HRD theory building, research, and practice.

Deconstructing Privilege: An Examination of Privilege in Adult Education

This paper presents a conceptualization of deconstructing privilege. It includes a discussion of the manifestations, determinants, and triarchy of privilege. The absence of the voice of dominant members in the discussion surrounding privilege results in further objectification of others. Strategies are offered for use in adult education to examine privilege and implications for practice.

Age and the university workplace: A case study of remaining, retiring, or returning older workers

This instrumental case study using the embedded single-case study design was conducted at a large midwestern university. Data collection included documents, descriptive statistics, and interviews. The themes of remaining, retiring, and returning appeared as patterns during data analysis. As universities experience the trend toward longer working lifespans, it is important that HRD practitioners include age in diversity discussions. Along with this, career development and training and development opportunities need to be reexamined.

Going global: professional mobility and concerns for LGBT workers

The world of work has regularized the practice of people moving from one country to another to accept job assignments. Travel and relocation are stress-laden endeavours. For LGBT people, the risks can be more complicated than they are for heterosexuals. This article explores particular challenges that LGBT people face when they travel and relocate for business, both domestically and internationally. The article is contextualized with a literature review on sexual minorities and workplace issues, and uses auto-ethnographic stories of three of the authors’ lived experiences as sexual minorities relocating for professional reasons in order to examine issues related to LGBT relocation. These issues include legal, social, cultural and familial considerations. Implications and suggestions for human resource developers are presented, which include acquiring awareness around the psychological and physiological reactions to new and diverse ecologies, or ‘eco-shocks’.

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendered People and Human Resource Development: An Examination of the Literature in Adult Education and Human Resource Development

Issues related to human resource development (HRD) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people such as workplace inclusion, employee affinity groups, and LGBT-specific diversity initiatives are being addressed in organizations more often now than ever before. This article explores the existing literature on LGBT issues in HRD and adult education through a systemic review to determine what research exists and what future directions are necessary. This review revealed a small core of research related to these issues. Existing work is mainly conceptual, and there is a lack of quantitative work. Topics of focus are related to organizational change and diversity efforts, with very little research on HR policy, career development, and workplace education. Key findings include that HR professionals have primarily served in a reactive role, rather than leading on these issues.

Differentiating CPE from Training: Reconsidering Terms, Boundaries, and Economic Factors

The differences between continuing professional education (CPE) and training are examined by presenting a systems view of the factors that make CPE different from training. The authors analyze these differences by discussing scope, stakeholders, control, and occupational mobility. These factors provide a framework for examining differences between CPE and training from an economic perspective. The authors review economic rationales for CPE and discuss how existing training evaluation concepts, such as cost-benefit analysis and return on investment may be adapted to the specific characteristics of CPE. They end by reflecting on the possibilities that the proposed approach offers and list a number of recommendations for further research.

Framing the Issue/Framing the Question: A Proposed Framework for Organizational Perspectives on Sexual Minorities

The problem and the solution. This article situates sexual minority issues within organizations by examining what it means to engage diversity through the perspectives of hostility, compliance, inquiry, inclusion, and advocacy. These perspectives are discussed in terms of human resource development (HRD) missions of individual development, career development, and organizational development. Implications for HRD professionals engaging sexual minority issues within organizations are also discussed.