The role of human resource professionals (HRPs) in managing workplace bullying: perspectives from HRPs and employee representatives in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Djurkovic ◽  
Darcy McCormack ◽  
Helge Hoel ◽  
Denise Salin
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Human Resource Professionals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of human resource professionals (HRPs) and employee representatives (ERs) on the role of HRPs in managing workplace bullying.Design/methodology/approachIndividual interviews were conducted with 12 HRPs and five ERs from a wide range of industries. Interview questions were open-ended and sought to gain insight on the views of the individual interviewees.FindingsThe findings address the role of HRPs in bullying scenarios and in the prevention of bullying. Regarding the role of HRPs in bullying, the responses of the participants suggest confusion and ambiguity, with a variety of roles being described ranging from a support-based role through to a protector of management. The participants also noted the importance of the HRP task of policy development, while a distrust of HRPs in bullying scenarios was mentioned. Regarding the effective management and prevention of bullying, the findings demonstrate that HRPs are viewed as having a central role through their particular responsibilities of creating and nurturing a positive organisational culture, as well as through engaging employees in the development of anti-bullying policies.Practical implicationsHRPs believe that they can contribute significantly to reducing workplace bullying through organisational culture (including educating staff and as role models of behaviour) and by engaging staff in the design of anti-bullying policies.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on workplace bullying by examining within the Australian context the perspectives of HRPs and ERs on how HRPs can prevent and manage workplace bullying.

Employees and sustainability: the role of incentives

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 820-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K Merriman ◽  
Sagnika Sen ◽  
Andrew J Felo ◽  
Barrie E Litzky
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Organizational Sustainability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Incentive Effects ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – Organizational sustainability has become a priority on many corporate agendas. How to integrate sustainability efforts throughout the organization, however, remains a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to examine two factors that potentially enhance incentive effects on employee engagement in environmental objectives: explicit organizational values for sustainability and the performance objective’s complementarity with incented financial objectives. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed a quasi-experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, including a status quo condition against which the treatments were contrasted. Participants (n=400) were comprised of a cross-section of US employees from a wide range of occupations and industries. A post hoc qualitative analysis provided additional insights. Findings – Incentive effects were enhanced (i.e. preference for the environmental objective was significantly higher) when the environmental project offered complementary benefits for financial objectives, but not when organization values emphasized sustainability. An entrenched status quo bias for financial performance was discerned among a subset of the sample. Research limitations/implications – Management scholars must pay close attention to the role of implicit norms for financial performance when investigating employee engagement in organizational sustainability efforts. From an applied perspective, framing sustainability objectives to emphasize financial benefits consistent with a financial mission may maximize employee engagement. Originality/value – This study contributes to understanding of organizational sustainability efforts at the individual employee level of analysis, a conspicuously small part of the organizational research surrounding this topic.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices and the Focus on the Individual

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The Individual

This paper reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices and the Focus on the Individual

2016 ◽  
pp. 1539-1556
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The Individual

This chapter reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.

scholarly journals The complexity of the antecedents influencing accountability in organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Pearson ◽  
Margaret Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Key Management ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Senior Executives ◽  
Human Resource Professionals ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual

Purpose Business, society and academic literature all show an increase in the demand for greater accountability. Although accountability is deemed to be central to performance in the workplace, it is an ever-expanding, complex and elusive phenomenon. There is very little empirical research in human resource literature on accountability’s wide-ranging antecedents and how they are best implemented. This paper aims to set out to identify which factors have the greatest influence when holding an individual to account. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative, exploratory research methods were adopted. Twenty semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with CEO’s, executives, human resource experts, senior managers and consultants in eight industries in South Africa. The data were analysed by thematic content analysis. Findings The findings identified five dominant antecedents that are required to effectively hold an individual to account for their performance. These are the culture and leadership of the organisation, the systems in the organisation, the values and recruitment means of the individual and the clarity of role. For each of these factors, the key management mechanisms were identified. Research limitations/implications The study was done in one country (South Africa) and only with senior executives. Practical/implications A “System of Accountability” model was developed depicting the interdependence of the factors and conceptualising a process that can be followed for human resource professionals and senior management to develop a culture of accountability. Originality/value There is a dearth of literature and empirical research on how to implement a combination of systems to ensure accountability in the workplace. This research offers some solutions to that gap in the literature.

The role of organizational culture in the knowledge management process

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Ling-hsing Chang ◽  
Tung-Ching Lin
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of individuals because of the diversity of organizational cultures (which include results-oriented, tightly controlled, job-oriented, closed system and professional-oriented cultures). Knowledge is a primary resource in organizations. If firms are able to effectively manage their knowledge resources, then a wide range of benefits can be reaped such as improved corporate efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and customer service. Design/methodology/approach – The survey methodology, which has the ability to enhance generalization of results (Dooley, 2001), was used to collect the data utilized in the testing of the research hypotheses. Findings – Results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects on employee intention in the KM process (creation, storage, transfer and application), whereas a tightly controlled culture has negative effects. Research limitations/implications – However, it would have been better to use a longitudinal study to collect useful long-term data to understand how the KM process would be influenced when organizational culture dimensions are changed through/by management. This is the first limitation of this study. According to Mason and Pauleen (2003), KM culture is a powerful predictor of individual knowledge-sharing behavior, which is not included in this study. Thus, this is the second limitation of this paper. Moreover, national culture could be an important issue in the KM process (Jacks et al., 2012), which is the third limitation of this paper for not comprising it. Practical implications – In researchers’ point of view, results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects, whereas a tightly controlled culture has a negative effect on the KM process intention of the individual. These findings provide evidences that challenge the perspective of Kayworth and Leidner (2003) on this issue. As for practitioners, management has a direction to modify their organizational culture to improve the performance of KM process. Social implications – Both behavioral and value perspectives of the organizational cultural dimensions (results-oriented, tightly control, job-oriented, sociability, solidarity, need for achievement and democracy) should be examined to ascertain their effects firstly on KM culture and then on the KM process intention of the individual. It is hoped that the current study will spawn future investigations that lead to the development of an integrated model which includes organizational culture, KM culture and the KM process intention of the individual. Originality/value – The results-oriented, loosely controlled and job-oriented cultures will improve the effectiveness of the KM process and will also increase employees’ satisfaction and willingness to stay with the organization.

Mergers in Indian public sector banks: can human resource practices ensure effective implementation of change?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Singh ◽  
Geetika Goel ◽  
Piyali Ghosh ◽  
Saitab Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Banks ◽  
Hr Practices ◽  
Effective Change

PurposeThis study examines the link of effective change implementation (CIE) with select human resource (HR) practices and employees' resistance to change (RTC) amidst ongoing mergers in Indian public sector banks (PSBs). It also intends to highlight the role of RTC as a mediator in this mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a structured questionnaire administered through a survey of employees of select PSBs that have undergone mergers. The hypothesized relationships were tested on 220 responses with structural equation modelling.FindingsTraining and communication of change as HR practices were found to have significant effects in implementing change. RTC fully mediated the relationship of training and CIE, and partially mediated the association of communication and CIE. Communication had a stronger influence on RTC than training. This finding upholds the importance of communication but also implies that training can reinforce effective communication of change and may not affect the implementation if not directed towards handling resistance.Practical implicationsThe significance of communication as a finding supports the theory of planned behaviour. The authors’ results also align with the social exchange theory and can be extended to the job demands-resources model. PSBs may plan for phase-wise training initiatives starting from the announcement till the end of a merger. PSBs also need to effectively communicate all relevant HR issues to employees, thus being transparent and fair. Both online and offline modes of communication can be explored. Overall, the senior management has to imbibe the handholding of employees in the short term and a sense of empathy in the longer term.Originality/valueResearch on HR in Indian banking mergers seems to take a back seat vis-à-vis strategic issues and financial performance. There also is a limited empirical examination of the role of HR practices in effective change implementation. This paper addresses both these issues by proposing a conceptual model and empirically validating it amidst the merger of PSBs. The authors also highlight how training and communication are effective in handling resistance to change.

The mediating role of fairness on the effectiveness of strategic performance measurement systems

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Baird ◽  
Sophia Xia Su ◽  
Nuraddeen Nuhu
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Performance ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThis study examines the mediating role of the fairness of performance appraisal on the association between the extent of use of strategic performance measurement systems (SPMSs) with SPMS effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using an online survey distributed to 656 Australian middle and lower level managers.FindingsThe findings reveal that informational fairness mediates the association between SPMSs (link to value drivers and the use of multidimensional performance measures) with performance-related outcomes; procedural fairness mediates the association between SPMSs (link to strategy and the use of multidimensional performance measures) with staff-related outcomes and distributive fairness mediates the association between the use of SPMSs (all three types) with both performance and staff-related outcomes.Originality/valueThe study provides a unique insight into the importance of fairness (the distributive, informational and procedural fairness of the performance appraisal system) in mediating the associations between the extent of use of SPMSs and SPMS effectiveness. The findings contribute to the human resource management (HRM) “black box” literature by providing an insight into the behavioural mechanism through which a specific human resource management practice (i.e. the SPMS) influences organisational performance.

scholarly journals The views of HR practitioners on ethical issues within organisations: A South African perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-428
Author(s):  
R Wordsworth ◽  
BJ Erasmus
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Behaviour ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Human Resource Professionals ◽  
Human Resource Department ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
African Perspective

This article reports on the results of a survey conducted among human resource practitioners in South Africa regarding their involvement in and experience of business ethics and unethical behaviour in their organisations. The results of the study concur with the theoretical perception that human resource managers have an important role to play in the institutionalisation of good ethical behaviour in the organisation, with the majority of respondents reporting that the human resource department is a primary resource for ethical initiatives and that human resource professionals are involved in the formulation of ethics policies. The article provides some insights in terms of the role of the human resource managers in the management of ethics. In so doing, an attempt is made to address the question of whether human resource managers should be the drivers of ethics initiatives in the organisation.

scholarly journals Industry 4.0 and their application in medicine and dentistry, as well as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic

Tehnika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-520
Author(s):  
Nemanja Majstorović ◽  
Vidosav Majstorović ◽  
Radivoje Mitrović ◽  
Žarko Mišković
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Complete System ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Review Study ◽  
The Individual

Basics: Industry 4.0 is a realized reality, which already today has a growing application in medicine and dentistry. So, at this moment, its application is especially important in the fight against covid-19. Aim of the paper: The purpose of this review paper is to understand the role of Industry 4.0 in the field of medicine and dentistry and to identify research directions, including future applications, especially for covid-19. Material and method: A detailed analysis of papers on Industry 4.0 in medicine, dentistry and related fields was performed and possible applications and directions of research were identified, especially for covid-19.Result: Through this review study, we identified different technologies, opportunities and research status of Industry 4.0 in the field of medicine, dentistry and covid-19 pandemic, through 19 areas of application. We can say that Industry 4.0 will become an essential part of tomorrow's smart factory of medical and dental devices. Conclusion: Industry 4.0 shows a wide range of possibilities for the production of newly adapted implants (medical and dental) and innovative tools and instruments for the field of medicine and dentistry. This model enables the creation of a digital clinic and digital office, with a complete system of medical and dental monitoring, which meets the individual requirements of the patient, thus creating the industry of medicine and dentistry with optimization of treatment time and costs. In the future, Industry 4.0 will create new capabilities and innovative protocols for the treatment and care of patients, both in medicine and dentistry.

scholarly journals Understanding coaching efficacy in education through activity systems: privileging the nuances of provision

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Lofthouse ◽  
Anthea Rose ◽  
Ruth Whiteside
Keyword(s):  
Activity Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coaching Efficacy ◽  
Range Of Functions ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Specific Challenge

PurposeThe research demonstrates the role of activity systems based in Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a means of analysing characteristics and efficacy of specific provisions of coaching in education.Design/methodology/approachThree examples of coaching in education were selected, involving 51 schools in England. The three examples were re-analysed using activity systems. This drew on existing evaluation evidence, gathered through interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and recordings of coaching.FindingsIn each example, the object of the coaching was to address a specific challenge to secure the desired quality of education. Using activity systems it is possible to demonstrate that coaching has a range of functions (both intended and consequential). The individual examples illustrate the potential of coaching to support change in complex and diverse education settings.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of existing data from evaluations means that direct comparisons between examples are not made. While data were collected throughout the duration of each coaching programme no follow-up data was available.Practical implicationsThe analysis of the examples of coaching using activity systems provides evidence of the efficacy of specific coaching provision in achieving individually defined objectives related to sustaining and improving specific educational practices.Originality/valueThe research offers insights into how coaching in education might be better tuned to the specific needs of contexts and the challenges experienced by the individuals working in them. In addition, it demonstrates the value of activity systems as an analytical tool to make sense of coaching efficacy.

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