Coaching in the sales profession: what part can coaching with literature play in dealing with a contemporary "Bartleby"?

This article makes a case for using Herman Melville’s 1853 short story “Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall-Street” to support new sales staff. Rock and Schwartz’s (2006) ideas on brain-based coaching have been reinforced by an exploration of a literary approach to coaching in order to demonstrate how to support sales people. The study used feedback from salespeople in mainly the recruitment and publishing industries. Data collected suggest that new sales recruits are frustrated at not knowing what standards they are expected to meet. Findings also suggest that there was merit in using literature as part of a coaching development exercise and that literature such as “Bartleby” could be a source of help in navigating work situations

Towards a practical guide for developing knowledge management systems in small organizations.

There is no common method for developing KMS in organizations; practice is dominated by proprietary and ad hoc approaches and is often oriented towards information systems development. Currently KMS development (KMSD) omits the creation of KM cultures in unique organizational contexts, how to ‘operationalize’ knowledge, and how to support KMS with appropriate technologies. The paper provides practical insights via explanatory elements of a guide for a principled and useful KMSD approach, one which is adaptable for the complex situations of constantly and unpredictably changing environments and specific settings and needs of organizations. The guide’s concepts and approach have emerged from and been validated in practice by an inquiry into a number of problems experienced by particular organizations. For practitioners the paper presents insights into how to develop KMS that address organizational needs. For scholars our guide to a KMSD approach addresses calls in the literature for empirical research into the deployment of KMS and the role of IT in supporting KMS

Drama, performance and touch in the medieval convent and beyond

In this analysis we explore the sensory performances of the performer, rather than the spectator, in medieval convent drama, particularly the tactile experiences of clothing, props, wigs, and beards worn by female performers presenting male and female characters

Professional doctorates: a possible model of knowledge co-production?

The proposed symposium speaks to Antonacopoulou’s call for manuscripts on knowledge co-creation that enable ‘the challenges embedded in integrating knowledge, action, theory and practice’ to be revealed (2009, p. 426). We do this by examining the potential of professional doctorates as a possible space for the co-production of knowledge. This theme will be explored in a series of papers that provide a close-up study of a professional doctorate programme (DProf) at Middlesex University. The convenors of the symposium are Dr Kerry Harman, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Work Based Learning (IWBL) and Dr Peter Critten, Project Manager Work Based Organisational Learning IWBL. The contributors to the symposium either work as advisers on the professional doctorate programme or participate/have participated in the programme as doctoral candidates and two of the papers are writing collaborations between advisers and candidates. The overarching aim of the symposium is to explore how actionable knowledge might be co-created and applied using the professional doctorate (as it is organised at this particular university) as the site for undertaking this examination. The symposium will be of particular interest to those involved in the organisation of doctoral programmes and those with an interest in the co-production of knowledge including HE academics, professional development practitioners, senior management (both in HEIs and other workplaces) and policy makers. Symposium format: 1. Introductory session: outline of symposium and the theoretical underpinnings of the DProf – Peter Critten and Kerry Harman [15mins] • Outline of symposium – aims of the session, format including the papers that will be presented and timing • Professional doctorates – a brief description of professional doctorates in the UK (Park, 2007) • An introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of a professional doctorate programme (DProf) at Middlesex University and some of the concepts we are working with in the ongoing organisation and delivery of this programme: -workplace learning and practice-based knowledges (Gherardi, 2006, 2009) -understanding professional practice (Green, 2009) - action inquiry (Argyris, 1982) -co-production of knowledge (Antonacopoulou, 2009) • How might actionable knowledge be co-created and applied? 2. DPRof framework focusing on methodology, process and action – Annette Fillery-Travis [30mins] 3. Making waves in the field of corporate selling – an industry perspective – Philip Squire and Peter Critten [30mins] 4. Developing communities: Chris Erskine and Kate Maguire [30 mins] 5. Questions raised by each of the papers in relation to the co-production of knowledge – Kerry Harman (Discussant) [10mins] 6. Questions and discussion with audience [10mins

The business value of structured workplace learning

There is a strong link between long-term, high level thinking skills, as typically displayed by graduates, and the well-being of organisations. This is why organisations employ graduates; they need employees with thinking skills and who know how to embrace their own long-term learning. We argue that organisations can use Work Based Learning (WBL) processes to develop people with these thinking skills – effectively, their own graduates