Going the Extra Mile: Managers and Supervisors as Moral Agents for Workers with Disability at Two Social Enterprises

This study examines the ethical management of workers with disability (WWD) employed at two social enterprises in Australia. Viewed largely through the spectrum of institutionally-based conflict in the employment relationship, this research draws on a framework of situated moral agency (Wilcox, 2012) to establish the ways in which WWD are afforded opportunities to engage in work and how managers and supervisors practise situated moral agency at the workplace. A qualitative case study approach is used with 62 participants through semi-structured interviews and focus groups.Key findings demonstrate supervisors constantly have to reshape and reinterpret human resource management (HRM) policies and practices to exercise and extend moral agency. This phenomenon suggests contradictions between moral agency and ethical management practice within current HRM regimes. The key message of the paper is that HRM does not always support the ethical management of WWD.Consequently, we question the ethical nature of contemporary HRM policy and practice for WWD, and argue for further research to unpack ethical ways to more effectively support WWD in the workplace. For WWD to be included at work, achieve life skills and their goals, managers and supervisors need to engage with their moral agency. Finally, we draw implications for management and employment relations theory and practice.Cette étude examine la gestion éthique des travailleurs avec handicap (TAH) employés dans deux entreprises sociales en Australie. Prenant appui sur la relation d’emploi, cette recherche s’inspire du cadre théorique de l’agence morale locale (Wilcox, 2012) pour établir de quelle manière les TAH se voient offrir des possibilités de s’engager dans leur travail, ainsi que comment les gestionnaires et les superviseurs mettent de l’avant les principes de l’action morale située (en anglais, situated moral agency) dans leur milieu de travail. Pour ce faire, nous avons eu recours à une étude de cas qualitative auprès de 62 participants au moyen d’entretiens semi-structurés et de groupes de discussion.Les principales observations sont à l’effet que les superviseurs doivent constamment remodeler et réinterpréter les politiques et les pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines (GRH) afin de mieux exercer et étendre leurs pratiques d’action morale. Ce faisant, nous trouvons des contradictions entre l’action morale et les pratiques de gestion éthique dans les régimes actuels de GRH. Le message-clé de l’article est que la GRH ne soutient pas toujours la gestion éthique de TAH.Par conséquent, nous remettons en question la nature éthique des politiques et pratiques contemporaines de GRH envers les TAH et plaidons en faveur de la poursuite de recherches afin de découvrir des moyens éthiques permettant de soutenir plus efficacement les TAH en milieu de travail. Si l’on veut que les TAH se sentent intégrés dans leur travail, acquièrent les compétences de la vie courante et atteignent leurs objectifs, les gestionnaires et les superviseurs doivent s’engager davantage au niveau de leur action morale. En conclusion, nous dégageons les implications pour la théorie et la pratique en matière de gestion et de relations de travail.Este estudio examina la gestión ética de los casos de trabajadores con discapacidad (TCD) empleados en dos empresas sociales en Australia. Visto más ampliamente a través del espectro de conflictos de base institucional en la relación laboral, esta investigación se inspira del cuadro teórico del discernimiento moral contextualizado (situated moral agency) (WIlcox, 2012) para examinar de qué manera los TCD disponen de oportunidades para participar en el trabajo y cómo los gerentes y supervisores ponen en práctica el discernimiento moral contextualizado en el lugar de trabajo. Un enfoque cualitativo de estudio de caso es utilizado con 62 participantes mediante entrevistas semi-estructuradas y focus groups.Los resultados principales demuestran que los supervisores deben constantemente remodelar y reinterpretar las políticas y las prácticas de gestión de recursos humanos (GRH) para ejercer y desplegar el discernimiento moral. Este fenómeno sugiere contradicciones entre la intervención moral y las prácticas de gestión éticas con los regímenes actuales de GRH. El mensaje clave de este artículo es que la GRH no siempre apoya la gestión ética de los casos de TCD.Por consecuencia, se cuestiona la naturaleza ética de las políticas y prácticas de GRH respecto a los casos de TCD y se aboga por una mayor investigación para descubrir formas éticas que apoyen más eficazmente los TCD en el lugar de trabajo. Para impulsar la integración de TCD en el trabajo, la obtención de competencias de vida y el logro de sus objetivos, los gerentes y supervisores deben implicarse con su discernimiento moral. Para terminar, se formulan implicaciones respecto a la gestión y respecto a la teoría y practica de relaciones laborales

The role of collaborative human resource management in supporting open innovation: A multi-level model

With open innovation (OI) playing an important role in many organizations' innovation strategy, there is growing interest in the human aspects of OI. An important challenge for managing OI remains the motivation of individuals for knowledge sharing and sourcing (KSS). To address this issue, we argue that managers responsible for OI need to use collaborative human resource management (collaborative HRM) practices to create the conditions to develop relational leadership and an open innovation mindset (OI mindset) among employees. Since OI research is largely focused on the organizational level, the micro-foundations of OI, as well as the interdependencies across team and individual levels are not yet fully understood. There is no systematic approach for understanding the role of collaborative HRM and the process through which employees' KSS and use OI within their organizations. We build on social exchange theory to develop a multi-level model of collaborative HRM practices used through relational leadership and OI mindset to enable employees to KSS and improve OI performance

Employers' conceptions of quality and value in higher education

Abstract In this qualitative study, we research what constitutes the relationships between conceptions of quality and value associated with higher education as experienced by prospective employers of business graduates. Quality and value in higher education are often linked though the relationship is unclear. Employers are an important and under-researched stakeholder group on the demand side of higher education. Data are generated by interviewing prospective employers of business graduates from a UK university. Interviews are analysed using a phenomenographic method to determine the qualitatively different ways in which actors make sense of the relationships between quality and value. Understanding prospective employers’ conceptions of the relationships is important given the competitive pressures on universities and businesses. The research reinforces the experiential and idiosyncratic relationships between quality and value in higher education. Three conceptions of what constitutes quality and value in higher education are discussed: (a) quality is an antecedent of value; (b) quality is simple while value is complex; and (c) quality is internal to HE while value is created in the customer domain. The research outcomes provide important insights for researchers and practitioners through clearer understanding of how quality and value are related for this important stakeholder group.</jats:p