Equity Management Strategies in the Australian Private Sector

This paper outlines the methods and outcomes of a study into equity management strategies in Australian private sector organisations reporting to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Reports from 1976 organisations indicate eleven key factors characterising equity management in Australia. The study highlights differences within previously identified social structural policies, temperamental and opportunity policies and identifies a further policy type, categorised as “support policies”. Differences have also been identified in relation to distribution structures, suggesting that gender is not the sole consideration in determining equity management strategies. The principle of distribution also figures strongly in equity management implementation

A Culture of Conflict

While some conflict in organisations may be a healthy incentive for action and competition, conflict that becomes the dominant feature of the organisation's culture is damaging. In non-profits it cripples the organisation's ability to function because the organisation is unable to set goals or to present a coherent, united front when applying for government grants. Research theory in management and non-profits discusses the need for consonance, but our research demonstrates that some community organisations do not fit the model presented in the literature. The paper presents the results of a consultancy engaged in by the authors between December 1994 and August 1995 with a small, church-based, non-profit organisation. The organisation works in an environment where there is a need for unity, but our research found conflict between the volunteers and the paid workers, and among the volunteers themselves. Conflict, which had become the over-riding consideration in all decisions, was paralysing the organisation. The paper gives some background to the organisation and the context in which it operates, describes the nature of the consultancy and the findings, and explains the recommendations we made to the organisation

An international investigation of forensic speaker comparison practices

The results of the first international survey on forensic speaker comparison practices are presented in this paper. Thirty-four experts from 13 countries and 5 continents responded to a series of questions concerning their practices in casework and which features they found to be useful speaker discriminants. Despite the responses revealing some prominent trends, there is wide variation in methodology, importance assigned to particular speech features, and choice of framework for expressing conclusions

Critical thinking and organisation theory: embedding a process to encourage graduate capabilities

The need for the development of effective business curricula that meets the needs of the marketplace has created an increase in the adoption of core competencies lists identifying appropriate graduate skills. Many organisations and tertiary institutions have individual graduate capabilities lists including skills deemed essential for success. Skills recognised as ‘critical thinking’ are popular inclusions on core competencies and graduate capability lists. While there is literature outlining ‘critical thinking’ frameworks, methods of teaching it and calls for its integration into business curricula, few studies actually identify quantifiable improvements achieved in this area. This project sought to address the development of ‘critical thinking’ skills in a management degree program by embedding a process for critical thinking within a theory unit undertaken by students early in the program. Focus groups and a student survey were used to identify issues of both content and implementation and to develop a student perspective on their needs in thinking critically. A process utilising a framework of critical thinking was integrated through a workbook of weekly case studies for group analysis, discussions and experiential exercises. The experience included formative and summative assessment. Initial results indicate a greater valuation by students of their experience in the organisation theory unit; better marks for mid semester essay assignments and higher evaluations on the university administered survey of students’ satisfaction

The challenges in Business Process Improvement training transfer: An exploration of empirical evidence from Australia

This paper is about the issues in Business Process Improvement (BPI) training transfer. There is ongoing training provided for BPIs. However, industry reports and research shows that the number of implementation failures in BPI have been substantial and the problem still remains unsolved. This paper places special emphasis on the transfer of BPI training. An exploratory and inductive approach was taken where the findings indicate various issues around eight main themes, the main being that of resistance. Our research: - 1) unearths the issues around BPI training transfer; - 2) informs BPI training literature on the importance of understanding the issues around BPI training transfer and; - 3) informs the practice on ways of overcoming the issues related to BPI training transfer

Conceptualizing the change-stability paradox in training transfer: The case of training for business process improvement

Annually millions of dollars are spent on formal and informal training activities across the globe. However, the return on investment of these training activities is in question. Training transfer needs to occur if the training is to yield a return on investment. Training transfer generally refers to the use of trained knowledge and skills back on the job (Burke and Hutchins, 2007). The manner in which any training is transferred in situations of conflict or tension, especially those in situations of paradoxes such as change and stability is yet to be explored. A paradox is a contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time (Smith & Lewis, 2011). This paper presents a conceptualization of training transfer that occurs in situations of paradoxes such as change and stability. Our research employs a multi phased approach in developing the conceptual model which was both empirically and theoretically grounded for more unchartered domains of research. Our results 1) inform training transfer theory on the importance of understanding the impact of paradoxical tensions on training transfer; 2) offer a framework to study training transfer in situations of paradoxical tensions that emanate from contentious change and; 3) informs future research on multi-phased and hybrid approaches to conceptualizations

Isomorphic forces and their effects on gender gap in Australian project-based organisations

This paper demonstrates that strong isomorphic forces contribute to the ongoing female underrepresentation in project-based organisations in Australia. Through a qualitative study of career experiences of women project managers, the underlying structural barriers to their career progression in construction and property development organisations are examined. The barriers appear as unique to project-based organisations and include project work practices; lack of career paths for project managers and limited organisational commitment to gender diversity. The Australian project-based organisations must purposely foster their female project managers to overcome isomorphism and thereby bolster their productivity and stay competitive on a global scale now and into the future

The status of research on leadership in business process management: A call for action

Business Process Management is recognised as a holistic management strategy aimed at achieving higher performance by optimising business processes. BPM projects require high commitment and leadership capabilities. Leadership has constantly been recognised as one of the critical success factors of BPM projects. However, the nature and characteristics of leadership in BPM are relatively under-researched areas. This paper presents the outcomes of a systematic literature review on leadership in BPM. While our review confirms a strong consensus on the importance of leadership in BPM, it also depicts the dearth of research in this area. We present a detailed analysis on the key themes observed within the current research with identified gaps and a call for action with a recommended research agenda