Understanding the impact of organisational downsizing on knowledge sharing

Careful consideration by managers of the potential impact of the popular strategy of economic restructuring (downsizing) on organisational structure and culture could improve the quality of organisational knowledge sharing, however this influence has not yet been addressed in the knowledge management literature. This paper explores how a strategy of downsizing may reshape organisational structure and culture and inhibit organisational knowledge sharing, drawing on an interpretive case study of knowledge sharing in an information technology services function at a large Australian education service provider. Key findings indicate that when specialised teams are downsized, subcultures may develop where teams become mistrustful and insular, and knowledge sharing is constrained across teams. Further, when a hierarchical structure is present and downsizing occurs, managers may become more cautious about sharing knowledge with subordinates. The study also suggests that Internet technologies may play a key role in helping to compensate for the shortfall in knowledge stock resulting from downsizing. In conclusion, this paper highlights an important need for companies to consider the potential negative influences of downsizing on organisationalknowledge sharing.<br /

Restructuring influences on organizational knowledge sharing: An interpretive case study

Careful consideration by managers of the potential impact of the popular strategy of economic restructuring (downsizing) on organisational structure and culture could improve the quality of organisational knowledge sharing, however this influence has not yet been addressed in the knowledge management literature. This paper explores how a strategy of downsizing may reshape organisational structure and culture and inhibit organisational knowledge sharing, drawing on an interpretive case study of knowledge sharing in an information technology services function at a large Australian education service provider. Key findings indicate that when specialised teams are downsized, subcultures may develop where teams become mistrustful and insular, and knowledge sharing is constrained across teams. Further, when a hierarchical structure is present and downsizing occurs, managers may become more cautious about sharing knowledge with subordinates. The study also suggests that Internet technologies may play a key role in helping to compensate for the shortfall in knowledge stock resulting from downsizing. In conclusion, this paper highlights an important need for companies to consider the potential negative influences of downsizing on organisational knowledge sharing

Identity Work for Boomer Professionals: Career Transition in the Restructured Economy

I conducted a qualitative study, interviewing thirty-three workers from the baby-boomer generation, with an objective of examining the intersection of aging and economic restructuring for boomer professionals. Participants’ careers had been impacted by the restructured economy at a point after they reached the age of forty. I applied an identity theory framework that emphasized meanings associated with growing older in the workforce, changes in the economy, self-meanings, and behavior in the restructured workplace. My focus also included process and questions of structure and agency. I used grounded theory methods to provide theory that explains the experience of transitioning from an existing work role as a downsized worker seeking a new job, entering selfemployment, or pursuing a reinvention of one’s career. I examine the transition process, the effects of structure, the formation and maintenance of identity in the transition role, and the factors that impact transition outcomes. I propose a theoretical argument that provides a comprehensive framework for the transition process. I establish transition as a relatively new and legitimate role for today’s worker, identify hegemonic structure as being particularly influential in the development of transition role identities, conceptualize personal resources—specifically self-esteem, selfefficacy, and authenticity—as key aspects of maintaining identity during transition, and investigate worker attributes that relate to transition outcomes. I assess career outcomes in terms of how successfully the transition role is negotiated and identify characteristics that comprise successful and unsuccessful transitions. I then discuss the implications of unabated economic restructuring for boomer professionals and, more broadly, for the future of the U.S. economy

IS Strategy and Downsizing: A Conceptual Framework

Many firms are presently engaging in organizational downsizing (or downsizing) for different reasons such as cutting costs and increasing competitiveness. The holistic effects of downsizing are, however, not yet entirely clear. This is particularly true with respect to issues related to IS and this study is an attempt to understand this phenomenon better. We argue that downsizing affects IS strategy within an organization by impacting the organizational processes and social networks of a firm and present a conceptual framework. Implications of the study are discussed

Talent Retention in Organizations Facing Staff Reductions via Layoffs

High voluntary attrition threatens the future of downsizing organizations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how employee layoff announcements reduces the perception of organizational commitment to experienced, skilled workers in central Wisconsin. The conceptual framework integrated stress response theories including Cannon\u27s cognitive activation theory of stress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 journeyman level artisans who had witnessed the layoff process within 50 miles of Wausau Wisconsin. These interviews were analyzed via the modified van Kaam method to code, cluster, and group the findings into significant themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses suggesting layoff implementation strategies might reduce voluntary employee attrition. Among these 9 themes, job insecurity and mental and emotional stressors were the most prominent. A third theme, employee entitativity, defined as when members of a group share similar attributes and seen more readily as a distinct entity than as individuals, also emerged. These themes may be associated with employee voluntary attrition. Improving employee understanding of the layoff process might increase employee trust in leadership decisions, reduce voluntary attrition, increase knowledge retention, and improve organizational economic success. Employees who are equipped to endure the layoff process may suffer less stress, conceivably reducing the likelihood of drug, alcohol, and family abuse and their related social stressors

Competence development through the lens of structuration - Does age matter in Finnish IT workplaces?

This thesis is about existing employees’ competence development, with a particular focus on middle-aged and late-career employees in the Finnish information technology field. Research on adult education, workforce development and workplace learning has traditionally relied on economic, psychosocial and learning theories. The lower participation rate of older workers in skills training is explained in terms of lowered abilities and willingness to learn, or through employers’ cost- driven strategies, which prioritise younger employees. While earlier studies tend to focus on either the employee or the learning environment, this thesis emphasises the relationships between an employee’s agency and the enablers and constraints apparent in the work environment. The aim is to understand differences in employees’ participation in competence development activities within the workplace and the significance of various factors involved. A pragmatic ontology is applied and a methodology of mixed methods, integrating data collection and analysis of a structured survey across industries (N=1,119) and face-to-face interviews (N=27). Theoretically, a novel approach is developed by building on key concepts of structuration theory (Giddens, 1979, 1984). The core argument in this thesis is that the frequency of competence development activities is an outcome of the pre-existing interaction between the employee and the learning environment. The thesis contributes to theory by providing an empirically grounded and theoretically informed conceptualisation of employees’ competence development, firstly, in the form of an analytical framework, and secondly, in the novel categorisation of agentic orientations. The thesis proposes that employees engage in competence development activities at different levels as a result of their agentic orientation, which may be proactive, reactive or restricted. Following these orientations, employees perceive factors in the learning environment as either enabling, supportive or constraining, leading to the agentic actions to initiate, accept or reject opportunities for competence development. Empirically, the study demonstrates that late-career employees are as active in their competence development activities as middle-aged employees are but face specific challenges of indirect age discrimination related to on-the-job learning. The holistic framework and the categorisation of proactive, reactive and restricted employees supports policymakers and practitioners to adjust their adult education and training offerings by observing individual agentic orientation rather than chronological age. In addition, these serve to avoid age and gender biases related to on-the-job learning

Frontline Managers\u27 Attachment Bonds to Their Surviving Employees Following an Organizational Downsizing

Abstract Existing research has shown how organizational downsizing affected surviving personnel. However, little is known about how organizational downsizing affected front- line managers\u27 attachment relationship with their decreased, disquieted, and affrighted workforce. After an organizational reduction, front-line managers may struggle to establish a supportive and productive work environment. This phenomenological study aimed to understand frontline managers\u27 lived experiences following organizational downsizing as they strived to support layoff survivors while focusing on ensuring a productive new work environment. Bowlby’s attachment theory grounded the research design with a focus on attachment. Fifteen front-line managers participated in semi structured interviews where they were asked to describe their lived experience of attachment bonds to surviving employees after downsizing. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi\u27s descriptive phenomenology techniques and NVivo 14 analysis software. The findings indicated that frontline managers following downsizing had trouble reestablishing an attachment relationship and maintaining organizational security. Many participants cited their organization’s lack of appropriate assistance to handle downsizing difficulties successfully and their reliance on colleagues or direct supervisors to cope with the downsizing workload, limited resources, and mistrust. Understanding frontline managers\u27 experience of downsizing may contribute to positive social change when companies implement various supportive measures such as individual counseling, group support sessions, and other interventions aimed at mitigating or reducing the negative effects associated with organizational downsizing

Managing Employee Morale After Organizational Downsizing

Business leaders who lack effective strategies to manage employee morale after downsizing may encounter feelings of distrust, disloyalty, and job insecurity from employees, resulting in decreased productivity. This decrease in productivity can cost an organization millions of dollars. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies business leaders use to manage employee morale after organizational downsizing. The participants comprised three business leaders in central Maryland who successfully used a strategy to improve employee morale after downsizing within the past 5 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of public financial reports and company information. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and three themes emerged: effective communication, team building, and training and support. A key recommendation for business leaders is to open lines of upward communication to understand the emotional state of the employees better. The implications for positive social change include the potential to protect the emotional and physical health of the employees in support of the local communities and families

An empirical investigation of carrer self-management behaviours: test of a theoretical model

This Master thesis explores the idea of proactive career attitudes and employee’s engagement in Career Self-Management Behaviours (CSMB). The main purpose of the study is to investigate if employees’ accumulated experiences with Human Resource Development Practices (HRDP) are predictive of their engagement in CSMB, and if those proactive activities, in turn, impact workers’ Perceived Employability (PE) and Organizational Commitment (OC). Data used in this study was obtained from a sample of 351 Portuguese employees. Data was collected in 2015 using a web-based questionnaire as part of a broader international research project: “Cross-Cultural Collaboration on Contemporary Careers” (Briscoe, Hall & Mayrhofer, 2012). A series of linked hypotheses are tested using the SPSS macro PROCESS (Hayes, 2016), with an examination of the mediation model. Before reporting the details of the empirical study, the first part of this paper – Literature Review, provides a thorough discussion of key theories and empirical studies related to the concepts and associations investigated in this study. The results show that HRDP positive impact both employees’ OC and PE - and that this enhancing effect is mediated by CSMB. As for the study limitations, since the results are based on cross-sectional self-report data, the causality of the findings cannot be confirmed. The study contributes to knowledge on modern careers, in that it sheds light on the process in which organizational career management initiatives can enhance desirable career outcomes (through fostering self-directed career attitudes). Implications for theory and practice are discussed.Esta tese de mestrado explora o conceito de atitudes de carreira proativas e de compromisso do colaborador com Comportamentos de Autogestão da Carreira (CAC). O principal objetivo do estudo é investigar se a experiência acumulada do colaborador com Práticas de Desenvolvimento de Recursos Humanos (PDRH) é preditiva do seu compromisso com CAC e se essas atividades proativas, por outro lado, impactam a Empregabilidade Percebida (EP) do colaborador e o seu Compromisso Organizacional (CO). Os dados utilizados neste estudo foram obtidos através de uma amostra de 351 trabalhadores portugueses. Em 2015 esta informação foi recolhida utilizando um questionário online que fazia parte de um projeto de investigação internacional mais amplo: Cross-Cultural Collaboration on Contemporary Careers” (Briscoe, Hall & Mayrhofer, 2012). São testadas uma série de hipóteses associadas entre si, utilizando o macro PROCESS do SPSS (Hayes, 2016), com uma análise da mediana. Antes de relatar os detalhes do estudo empírico, a primeira parte deste artigo – Revisão da Literatura, proporciona uma discussão transversal de teorias chave e estudos empíricos relacionados com os conceitos e associações investigadas neste estudo. Os resultados mostram que as PDRH impactam ambos de forma positiva - CO dos colaboradores e a sua EP - e que este efeito de aumento é mediado pelos CAC. Relativamente às limitações do estudo, considerando que os resultados são baseados em informação transversal auto reportada, a causalidade dos resultados não pode ser confirmada. Este estudo contribui para o conhecimento sobre carreiras modernas, na medida em que ilumina o processo através do qual as iniciativas de Gestão de Carreira levam a resultados desejáveis (através da promoção de atitudes de carreira auto dirigidas). São ainda discutidas implicações para a teoria e para a prática

Sense of coherence and work stress or well-being in care professionals: a systematic review

Job-related stress affects the physical and psychological health of professionals dedicated to care. This work is a systematic review that aims to determine the relationships between a sense of coherence (SOC) and work stress and well-being perceived by care professionals. The review was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines, and the search was carried out using the Web of Science (WoS), PubMed, and Scopus databases, obtaining a final selection of 41 articles. The results indicate that stress, depression, burnout, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) negatively correlate with SOC; in contrast, job satisfaction, well-being, and quality of life positively correlate with SOC. It is concluded that SOC could act as a mediating variable and as a predictor variable of these health problems