Constructing a career: women architects at work

Using data from 37 interviews carried out with female architects in Britain, this paper examines how they have constructed their careers in a male-dominated profession. The findings indicate that there is a significant rejection of the “traditional” career within an organisation; instead there is diversity in the forms of work organisation adopted especially with regard to the desire for control over career and working life

Choice, diversity and 'false consciousness' in women's careers

The central theme of this paper is that contemporary literature concerning women’s careers is based on assumptions held by researchers and not actually on views held by women themselves. Many feminist researchers are guilty of assuming ‘false consciousness’ on the part of their subjects by explaining these women as being victims of gender or patriarchal systems instead of making a mindful decision founded on choice. The empirical work draws on in-depth interviews with 39 women architects. Of the 39 women interviewed, 20 had adopted alternative ways of working, in the sense that they had rejected the conventional career within an organisation. Their reasons for this were diverse and ranged from wanting to combine childcare or elder care with work; involvement in local politics; wanting time for further study or sporting activities; as well just not wanting to work full-time. In short, this research demonstrates that work is not always a central interest in the lives of individuals and supports Hakim’s view of heterogeneity among women

'Black boxes' and 'fracture points': the regulation of gender equality in the UK and French construction industries

Gender equality was a founding principle of the European Union (EU) and has remained on its policy agenda ever since, yet delivery of policy goals has been uneven across countries and economic sectors. We draw on theoretical and empirical literatures from human resource management and policy science to explore EU gender equality initiatives and their enactment within one sector which has seen virtually no improvements in gender-based employment equality: construction. To help understand the possible reasons for this, we compare practice and experiences in two countries; the UK and France. In both, the construction industry remains resolutely male-dominated, with women employed primarily in support and administrative roles. We deploy the concept of Europeanisation, to provide an analytical framework to understand the potential gaps between policy goals and on-the-ground implementation, whilst a comparative approach allows us to see if different national approaches to EU policy implementation can help explain these policy failures. We identify three potential 'fracture points' where breaks in policy transmission and enactment may occur: between the EU and national levels; between the national and industry levels; and within the industry itself. We identify areas for further research, where unpacking the 'black Boxes' of policy development and industry practices, can help more effective policy-targeting to deliver policy goals on gender equality

A cross-national study of gender diversity initiatives in architecture: the cases of the UK, France and Spain

Despite initiatives designed to encourage more women, the construction industry and its associated professions remain resolutely male-dominated and the situation shows little signs of changing. Reporting on the findings of an exploratory study which examines the transfer of Equality Policy into practice in three European countries: the UK, France and Spain, we provide cross-national comparisons of the implementation of gender initiatives in a single profession, that of architecture.Caven, V.; Navarro Astor, E.; Diop, M. (2016). A cross-national study of gender diversity initiatives in architecture: the cases of the UK, France and Spain. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management (Online). 23(3):431-449. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-11-2014-0141S431449233Caven, V., Navarro-Astor, E., & Diop, M. (2012). A Cross-National Study of Accommodating and «Usurpatory» Practices by Women Architects in the UK, Spain and France. Architectural Theory Review, 17(2-3), 365-377. doi:10.1080/13264826.2012.732588Gutiérrez Mozo, M.E. and Pérez del Hoyo, R. (2012), “Docencia y género: primeros pasos de la Universidad de Alicante (España) en la carrera de Arquitectura”, Arquitectura y Urbanismo , Vol. XXXIII No. 3, pp. 52-69.Özbilgin, M., & Tatli, A. (2011). Mapping out the field of equality and diversity: Rise of individualism and voluntarism. Human Relations, 64(9), 1229-1253. doi:10.1177/0018726711413620Sánchez de Madariaga, I. (2009), “El papel de las mujeres en la arquitectura y el urbanismo, de Matilde Ucelay a la primero generación universitaria en paridad”, in Leboeiro, M.A. (Ed.), Arquitectas: un reto professional. Jornados Internacionales de Arquitectura y Urbanismo desde la perspectiva de las arquitectas , UPM (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), Madrid, 11-13 December, pp. 69-77.Sánchez de Madariaga, I. (2010). Women in architecture: the Spanish case. Urban Research & Practice, 3(2), 203-218. doi:10.1080/17535069.2010.481377Tatli, A., Vassilopoulou, J., Ariss, A. A., & Özbilgin, M. (2012). The role of regulatory and temporal context in the construction of diversity discourses: The case of the UK, France and Germany. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 18(4), 293-308. doi:10.1177/0959680112461092Winch, G. M. (2000). Institutional reform in British construction: partnering and private finance. Building Research & Information, 28(2), 141-155. doi:10.1080/096132100369046Winch, G., & Campagnac, E. (1995). The organization of building projects: an Anglo/French comparison. Construction Management and Economics, 13(1), 3-14. doi:10.1080/01446199500000002Zapata-Barrero, R. (2010). Managing Diversity in Spanish Society: A Practical Approach. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(4), 383-402. doi:10.1080/07256868.2010.49127

A coalesced framework for prescribed and actual involvement of line managers in talent management (TM) analysis

Purpose: The mainstream literature presents the involvement of line managers (LMs) in Talent Management (TM) as a multi-dimensional concept that includes, among other things, the prescribed and actual dimensions of involvement, the analysis of which would best be supported by a unified framework. However, the literature shows a lack of unified framework for analysing the varied dimensions of involvement as the existing ones are fragmented. The paper aims to inductively generate a unified framework for analysing the prescribed and actual involvement of LMs in TM in the Case Study Organisation (CSO). Design/Methodology/Approach: We adopted an inductive, qualitative and embedded singe case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with forty-seven (47) key stakeholders at different levels of the CSO alongside document analysis. Findings: The study generated a coalesced framework that combines Cascon-Pereira and Valverde (2014) Four-dimensional framework (FDF), Teague and Roche (2012) Three-dimensional framework (TDF), and institutional isomorphism concept (DiMaggio and Powell 1983) for analysing the prescribed and actual involvement of LMs in TM in CSO. Limitation: The results are limited to the CSO as this was a single case study. Originality/value: The study extends the boundaries of using FDF, TDF and institutional isomorphism concept (DiMaggio and Powell 1983) by merging them into a coalesced framework to analyse the prescribed and actual involvement of LMs in TM in CSO. Thus, the framework bridges the gap between theory and practice within the TM domain

Line managers' involvement in talent management: the case of a Malawian bank

Purpose: Line Managers (LMs) are a critical stakeholder in the success of talent management (TM ) activities due to the frequent and close interactions that they have with employees (Blanco and Golik 2021; Cooke et al., 2014:226; Blass and Maxwell 2012:256). However, little is known about how LMs are involved in TM. This paper aims to examine the involvement of LMs in TM at a Case Study Organisation. Design/methodology/approach: Our findings draw on an embedded single case study using 47 in-depth semi-structured interviews with multi-stakeholders (e.g., LMs, Human Resources Department (HRD) staff, senior management, and the Staff Representative Council (SRC), Supervisors, officers). The interviews were supported by the analysis of secondary data, for example, documentation. Findings: The study found that the Case Study Organisation managed its talent using a hybrid TM philosophy comprising an exclusive strategic position TM philosophy and an inclusive self-initiated talent development TM philosophy. Consistent with the hybrid TM philosophy, LMs initiated TM processes, proposed TM decisions, implemented TM decisions, and acquired TM expertise. In terms of coverage, LMs were more involved in TM since they performed several operational tasks (e.g., initiating TM processes and implementing TM decisions) in several TM practices such as talent acquisition and identification, talent development, performance management, and merit pay. In terms of depth, the involvement of LMs in TM was moderate because their involvement was limited to proposing decisions across TM practices. This was supported by a moderate acquisition of TM expertise as the LMs’ TM training had mixed reviews. Limitations - The findings are limited to the Case Study Organisation as the study adopted a single case study. Originality/value: Theoretical - We respond to calls by several scholars for an in-depth study on LMs’ involvement in TM within different national and industrial contexts (Gallardo-Gallardo and Thunnissen 2016; Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020; Kravariti et al., 2022). We attained this by providing insight on the coverage and depth of LMs' involvement in TM in a Case Study Organisation. Methodology – By drawing our findings on an embedded single case study, we respond to the call by Cooke (2018:11) and Cooke et al., (2022) for in-depth human-centered qualitative research. Finally, we respond to the call by Gallardo-Gallardo et al., (2020:463) for multi-stakeholders perspectives studies on LMs’ involvement in TM