Leadership in a humane organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Dimitrov
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Employee Satisfaction ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Development ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
The Way ◽  
Academic Study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the way leadership influences an organization to become humane through its features and behaviors; as well as the organizational circumstances in which humane leadership can be nurtured. The first empirical case study, in the fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) and hospitality management, to explore the way employees from different national cultures (as measured by their individualistic/collectivistic values), in a US-based hotel, perceive their workplace to be a humane organization (HO), as defined by Chalofsky (2008), was the one made by Dimitrov (2009, 2010). More specifically, the example set by leadership in the studied hospitality organization is the focus of the present descriptive manuscript. The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – The exploratory research mentioned above used a single embedded case study with 17 participants, selected via purposeful convenience sampling, who represented management, supervisory and professional line-level employees from a culturally diverse full-service hotel in a major metropolitan area. The instrument of Singelis et al. (1995) for horizontal and vertical individualism (I) and collectivism (C), as well as the instrument of Triandis and Singelis (1998) for I and C, was applied to every respondent to determine their cultural belonging. One-on-one interviews, written reflections and documentary analysis, as well as observations of the social and physical aspects of the participants’ workplace, were conducted. Findings – Five leadership sub-themes were observed to the general theme “Setting the Example” of the study’s findings: company values for leadership styles and employee treatment; the legacy of one charismatic leader (the previous general manager); leader–follower communication; how the workplace feels intrinsically; and how the work environment becomes negative. The study led to the formation of two new characteristics of the HO (Dimitrov, 2009), of which one could be recommended as the main focus of leadership in an HO: being cognizant and understanding of individuals as human beings, not just as employees. The traits and behaviors of some modern leadership theories such as authentic leadership, transformational leadership and charismatic leadership were combined under the concept – humane leadership. Research limitations/implications – The research of more culturally diverse organizations in different counties, brand cultures and economic sectors, under various research methodologies, and in the context of classical and recent leadership theories, was recommended to establish further weather I and C employees’ expectations of their leadership would make a difference for the sustenance of an HO. Practical implications – Furthermore, organizations and HRD practitioners are encouraged to invest more time, efforts and resources into leadership development programs that create such humane leadership skills and prepare quality leaders who are well-perceived and trusted by their culturally diverse workforce. Originality/value – The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Humane leaders can be nurtured in a humane organizational culture.

How does the evolution of an organization's multiple-dominant-logic system affect its ambidextrous innovation?

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-569
Author(s):  
Haifen Lin ◽  
Tingchen Qu
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Dominant Logic ◽  
Influence Mechanism ◽  
Entrepreneurial Bricolage ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Logic System ◽  
The Way

PurposeThis paper aims to address how an organization's multiple-dominant-logic system evolves as it grows and how does this evolution affect the way managers choose to balance ambidextrous innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts an interpretive and exploratory case study on the mechanism of how the multiple-dominant-logic system influences the decision of balanced ambidextrous innovation. Considering that the multiple-dominant-logic system will change with the development of a firm, this paper focuses on exploring how the evolution of multiple-dominant-logic system affects the way managers choose to balance ambidextrous innovation. The authors spent almost two years collecting data from M-grass Ecology and following the evolution and innovation through semi-structured interviews, archival data and observation. Then they set up a framework showing the influence mechanism by analyzing the data through a four-step process.FindingsThis research points out that an organization's multiple-dominant-logic system may change for several times in its growth. It provides a model for the evolution of a multiple-dominant-logic system. It confirms that firms' multiple-dominant-logic system is not immutable, but evolves with the change of the firm's internal resources and external environment. Also, it finds that under the influence of different multiple-dominant-logic architectures, mangers choose different ways to balance ambidextrous innovation. In this process, appropriate entrepreneurial bricolage plays a significant role in balancing ambidextrous innovation.Originality/valueThe findings offer some valuable insights for further research on dominant logics and ambidextrous innovation and hold important implications for managers making a decision.

Wayfinding in hospital landscape: syntactical analysis of planting design in hospitals in Kerman, Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Zabihi ◽  
Mina Safizadeh ◽  
Massoomeh Hedayati Marzbali
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Space Syntax ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Planting Design ◽  
Library Research ◽  
University College London ◽  
The University ◽  
Syntactical Analysis ◽  
The Way

Purpose Hospital landscape is not a useless space within hospital buildings anymore. It is considered as a supportive area providing mental and physical peace. However, the planting design of the hospital landscape and the way it should be in order to not disrupt wayfinding performance is neglected. This paper, which is a case study, aims at investigating the effects of planting design in Kerman hospitals’ landscapes on the users’ wayfinding using space syntax techniques. Design/methodology/approach This research focuses on the effects of planting design on the users’ wayfinding in hospitals. In so doing, library research, computer simulation and analysis with the University College London (UCL) Depthmap software, and comparison techniques are used. Based on axial maps, the measures of integration, connectivity and intelligibility are considered for analysing the wayfinding process of individuals. Findings The findings show that planting configurations in the hospital landscape can affect individuals’ wayfinding. Integrated and regular planting design in addition to combining planted areas with the hospital buildings can pave the way for intelligible space and easier wayfinding. Originality/value According to the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first to use the space syntax techniques in the health-care landscape architecture in terms of planting design and wayfinding. As wayfinding is an important issue in health-care spaces, the study findings can greatly help the health-care building designers and the related organizations to pay attention to the hospital landscape as much as hospital indoors.

Clients and cases: ambiguity and the division of labour in professional service firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Alvehus
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Work ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Way

Purpose By drawing on a detailed case study of the work of tax consultants, the purpose of this paper is to develop a more detailed understanding of the role of ambiguity in professional work, and its relationship to the division of labour in professional service firms (PSFs). Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a three-year, longitudinal interpretive case study comprising 42 interviews, supplemented by observations and document data. Findings The research determines that processes of “obfuscation” and “privatisation” separate client work from case work. This maintains a division of labour between junior and senior professionals, which in turn facilitates financial leverage. The findings indicate that a more nuanced view on the role and origins of ambiguity is needed; particularly the role ambiguity plays in the division of labour. While inherent in professional work, ambiguity is also an effect of the way work processes are organised in order to obtain leverage. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a case study. Therefore, the paper explores its topic in empirical detail, but at the same time calls for exploring the topic in different contexts. The paper encourages further research on the role ambiguity plays being constituted by structural arrangements, and on the way the core of professionalism is inverted by the division of labour. The paper highlights the value of detailed empirical approaches for understanding professional work. Practical implications The paper draws attention to the way ambiguity becomes a part in sustaining a division of labour among professional workers, and to the importance of this in maintaining financial leverage as well as in creating a precarious work situation for junior professionals. Social implications The paper raises concerns about the way professional work is legitimated in society as opposed to how it is constructed in PSFs. Originality/value The paper challenges prevalent notions of professional work as ambiguous, offering instead a way of engaging with professional work processes in detail, theoretically and methodologically. Traditional assumptions about the division of labour and the “core” of professional work are problematized, and traditional assumptions about ambiguity as a cause of specific structural arrangements are questioned.

What does the way crime was organised yesterday tell us about the way crime is organised today and will be tomorrow?

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Tupman
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Organised Crime ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Material ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Way

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess what an overview of theoretical literature and case study material can tell us about the different ways crime has been organised in the past in different cultures and whether this has any impact on the ways in which crime may be organised in the present and the future. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on an examination of Mcintyre’s work on how crime is organised and later political, economic and civil society views of criminality. Brief discussion of case studies involving the UK, The Netherlands, the Arab world, Ethiopia and Russia is used to see how crime was organised there in the past. Findings – There is a greater variety of variables in the way crime was organised historically than McIntyre suggests, and an examination of civil society might pay greater dividends than even looking at politics or economic aspects of organised crime. Research limitations/implications – The study is preliminary. More historical case study material needs to be accessed. Originality/value – There are many research case studies, particularly at PhD level and in subjects other than criminology, such as history, language studies and cultural studies generally, which have not been brought together to present an overall picture. This paper is a first step in that direction.

What does it mean to adopt a metadata standard? A case study of Omeka and the Dublin Core

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Maron ◽  
Melanie Feinberg
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Criticism ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Dublin Core ◽  
Metadata Standard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Metadata Standards ◽  
Metadata Quality ◽  
The Way

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to employ a case study of the Omeka content management system to demonstrate how the adoption and implementation of a metadata standard (in this case, Dublin Core) can result in contrasting rhetorical arguments regarding metadata utility, quality, and reliability. In the Omeka example, the author illustrate a conceptual disconnect in how two metadata stakeholders – standards creators and standards users – operationalize metadata quality. For standards creators such as the Dublin Core community, metadata quality involves implementing a standard properly, according to established usage principles; in contrast, for standards users like Omeka, metadata quality involves mere adoption of the standard, with little consideration of proper usage and accompanying principles. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses an approach based on rhetorical criticism. The paper aims to establish whether Omeka’s given ends (the position that Omeka claims to take regarding Dublin Core) align with Omeka’s guiding ends (Omeka’s actual argument regarding Dublin Core). To make this assessment, the paper examines both textual evidence (what Omeka says) and material-discursive evidence (what Omeka does). Findings The evidence shows that, while Omeka appears to argue that adopting the Dublin Core is an integral part of Omeka’s mission, the platform’s lack of support for Dublin Core implementation makes an opposing argument. Ultimately, Omeka argues that the appearance of adopting a standard is more important than its careful implementation. Originality/value This study contributes to our understanding of how metadata standards are understood and used in practice. The misalignment between Omeka’s position and the goals of the Dublin Core community suggests that Omeka, and some portion of its users, do not value metadata interoperability and aggregation in the same way that the Dublin Core community does. This indicates that, although certain values regarding standards adoption may be pervasive in the metadata community, these values are not equally shared amongst all stakeholders in a digital library ecosystem. The way that standards creators (Dublin Core) understand what it means to “adopt a standard” is different from the way that standards users (Omeka) understand what it means to “adopt a standard.”

Bridging the industry–education skills gap for human resource development

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Arthur-Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Employee Morale ◽  
Skills Gap ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe one advanced manufacturing company’s efforts to build a channel of skilled workforce by developing an apprenticeship programme with high schools. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative case study approach, the authors interviewed the members of the organisation to gain insights into opportunities and challenges they faced in addressing their skills needs. Findings The analysis showed that the collaboration and commitment of stakeholders were essential to the success of the programme. Furthermore, flexibility in employer’s expectations to allow for career progression was critical to motivating students to continue in the programme. A positive impact of the programme on overall employee morale and organisational culture was revealed. Research limitations/implications Although the findings may be relevant to other similar organisations, they may have limitations in their applicability to other contexts. Practical implications The study holds promise for the field of human resource development, as practitioners and scholars can benefit from the renewed interest in youth apprenticeship to identify how their activities within and outside of the organisation can build and retain the human capacity needed for organisational performance and competitiveness. Originality/value Employer–education partnerships have been touted as a solution to the skills gaps in industries. However, there is very little literature on employer-initiated apprenticeships focused on youth in the USA. Industry–education apprenticeship programmes offers employers an opportunity to address the skills problem in ways that meet their need.

Leadership without “the led”: a case study of the South Wales Valleys

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Harding
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
The South ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Economically Deprived ◽  
Feminist Research Methods ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Theories Of Leadership

PurposeThis paper aims to disrupt assumptions about leadership by arguing those who are ostensibly “followers” may be utterly insouciant towards the existence of people categorised as “leaders”. It contributes to anti-leadership theories.Design/methodology/approachThis article uses an immersive, highly reflexive methodology to explore subjective meanings of leadership at community levels ostensibly governed by local government leaders. It uses a case study of the South Wales Valleys, one of the hubs of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century but now economically deprived.FindingsThrough drawing on their rich and complex history, the author shows how in these communities there is a culture of neo-communitarianism that is anti-leadership and suspicious of attempts to establish hierarchies of superior over inferior. The author explores the complex webs of meaning through which ancient experiences reverberate like dead metaphors, informing contemporary understandings without conscious awareness of such a heritage. This is a history in which “leaders” betrayed or oppressed and exploited the population, which in response turned against hierarchies and evolved practices of self-government that continue today, invisible and unrepresentable within the wider culture.Research limitations/implicationsThe study draws on contemporary feminist research methods that emphasise subjectivity, flux and change. These are often not understood by readers not accustomed to stepping out of a positivist onto-epistemological frame.Practical implicationsThe paper challenges the universalising tendencies of leadership theories that assume a shapeless mass; “followers” await the advent of a leader before they can become agentive.Social implicationsThe paper offers insights into a day-to-day world that is rarely explored.Originality/valueThe article demonstrates how emerging forms of qualitative research give insights into communities that undermine dominant, universalising theories of leadership, followership and government more generally.

“Using what you have” to teach for global citizenship

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Christoff
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Citizenship Education ◽  
Curriculum Framework ◽  
Social Studies Teacher ◽  
The Way

PurposeThis case study illustrates how one social studies teacher used the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP)' s framework and philosophy to teach for global citizenship. The research question that framed this study was: How is an IB MYP Individuals and Societies (I&S) teacher enacting their perceptions and understanding of global citizenship education? Findings illustrate that this teacher enacted a proactive pedagogy, using her own personal perceptions and what IB MYP offered her through their affective and cognitive frameworks to apply her conceptions of global citizenship education.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this single case study came from teacher semi-structured interviews (Rubin and Rubin, 2012), observations, field notes (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016) and teacher created documents. The goal for the teacher created documents was to provide detail, depth and evidence to support or contrast with what was found in the interviews and observations. Simultaneous, in vivo, and values coding were used to analyze the data and to get an overall picture of what the participant said, believed and practiced. Theories surrounding global citizenship education provided the lens for the study.FindingsThe findings are organized according to (1) the way this teacher's developed constructions of global citizenship and global citizenship education and IB led her to use the IB philosophy and framework to shape her beliefs and practices and (2) the way she embraced the tensions and possibilities inherent in her teaching for global citizenship in an IB MYP classroom to teach a proactive form of global citizenship education.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides insight into the curriculum framework of IB MYP and the curriculum and instruction decisions of an I&S teacher. For the global citizenship education field, this study provides an example of how global citizenship can be incorporated into a social studies classroom.Practical implicationsFor social studies education, this study uncovered the possibilities present in the curriculum when a teacher is given the space to make their own instructional decisions. This study also gives guidance on how international curriculum frameworks can be utilized for global citizenship education. Finally, this study illustrates teachers must fully subscribe to IB and the MYP as a means of teaching for global citizenship for it to be beneficial.Originality/valueThis study has value because it highlights how a social studies teacher successfully uses an international curriculum framework to teach for global citizenship. Few studies have shown examples of teachers, especially IB MYP teachers, who are committed to teaching for global citizenship and use the tools they are given to center student choice and connect the content to their students' lives. Teachers and researchers will be able to view the pedagogical possibilities inherent in this teacher's global citizenship methods.

A study of coaching leadership style practice in projects

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1122-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Emil Berg ◽  
Jan Terje Karlsen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Substantive Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Signature Strengths ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Coaching Leadership ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss how project managers practice a coaching leadership style (CLS). Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a case study of an organization practicing coaching in projects. Findings The research findings show that to succeed with a CLS, project managers must have a large toolbox, which includes signature strengths, self-management and a give culture. Further, the paper describes how a model consisting of two learning processes can help to implement a CLS in practice. Research limitations/implications This study is exploratory, contributing to the development of a substantive theory. Theory testing as well as more in-depth investigation of mental models of a CLS would be valuable. Practical implications Coaching leadership theories offer insights that can be leveraged to make project management more effective through improved research foundations. Originality/value This paper focuses on how a CLS is carried out in projects and how it can be improved and should thus be of interest to managers searching for tools and models for effective leadership.

Encounters between the police and the public: seize the day or practice avoidance?

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-160
Author(s):  
Allegra Clare Schermuly
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
The Way

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of encounters on police legitimacy and levels of trust in the police in the Monash Local Government Area in the state of Victoria, Australia. Monash was chosen as it had experienced declining results in the official National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing in relation to police legitimacy and trust.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study comprising 18 interviews and six focus groups with community representatives from Monash is employed in the paper.FindingsWhen procedural justice approaches are applied during encounters between the police and the public, encounters contribute to securing legitimacy for the police. Contact between the police and the public in everyday situations also enhances trust in the police, depending on the way the police conduct themselves during such interactions.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from a qualitative case study are not able to be widely generalised but the conclusions are still useful for informing insights into processes impacting police legitimacy and trust.Practical implicationsContributes to informing evidence-based police practice around the way police conduct themselves during community interactions; informs policy decisions around allocation of funding for law enforcement with more officers required to carry out community policing; emphasises the importance of prioritising partnerships with communities; demonstrates that positive police/community relations have wider social cohesion implications in a contemporary era of counter-terrorism priorities.Originality/valueThe majority of research in this field to date has been quantitative. A qualitative approach provides fresh insights into the mechanisms of police legitimacy, especially the role of encounters and procedural justice.

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