Prelims

Half Title Page

Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes – Values for a Post Pandemic Future, Volume 1

Title Page

Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes – Values for a Post Pandemic Future, Volume 1

Edited by

Kemi Ogunyemi

Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria

And

Adaora I. Onaga

Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Editorial matter and selection © 2022 Kemi Ogunyemi and Adaora I. Onaga.

Individual chapters © 2022 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80262-720-6 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80262-719-0 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80262-721-3 (Epub)

Dedication

This volume is dedicated to all the overlooked workers and the overworked people in a pandemic.

The experience of COVID-19 has been life-changing for most, but in a special way the workers who have laboured to keep their values upright have positively touched lives more deeply than can be acknowledged.

This book is for them.

List of Tables and Figures

About the Contributors

Onyinyechi Akagha is a doctoral student with the School of Law, College of Business, Public Policy and Law, National University of Ireland, Galway. She works with the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. Her research interests are corporate governance, business law and ethics. She is also a legal practitioner with over 17 years of post-call experience.

Emelia Amoako Asiedu is a Senior Lecturer in the School of IT Business of the Ghana Communications Technology University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and Policy Management, a Master of Philosophy in Public Administration as well as a master’s degree in Public Administration, a bachelor’s degree in Management Studies and a diploma in Education. She also holds a postgraduate certificate in Occupational Safety and Environment. Her research interests are public sector performance management and leadership, public policy management, women and gender issues and occupational health, safety and environment.

Shakeel M. C. Atchia has served the Mauritian Education system for the past 22 years and is currently an academic in the Science Education Department of the Mauritius Institute of Education, which is a tertiary institution specialised in teacher training, educational research and curriculum development. He holds a PhD in Education, a master degree in Science, a postgraduate diploma in Higher Education, a postgraduate certificate in Education, and a bachelor degree in Biology. He has shown his interest in STEM education, Quality Assurance and Science Education, through his publications, conference interventions and research work. He is currently the overall coordinator of a collaborative MIE-UKZN project on STEM education, the coordinator of marine Science, and the international consultant for the Quantitative Analysis of the international project ‘COVID-19 impacts on education systems’, under the aegis of Stockholm University. He is also the assistant coordinator involved in the development a National Technology Education Curriculum Framework, based on problem solving and project-based learning approaches.

Yemisi Bolade-Ogunfodun is a Program Director and Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Henley Business School, UK. She is also a faculty member at the African European Centre for Investment and Trade (AECIT) and frequents international research symposia – regularly presenting her research to academics and policymakers the world over – to advance societal understanding of cultural diversity, particularly in relation to values that underpin work practices, such as productive job design. She has published seminal papers in leading academic and practitioner outlets including Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment and Forbes. She also frequently contributes to published volumes with major publishing houses such as Emerald Publishing and Edward Elgar Publishing.

Farai Chigora is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department in Business Science at Africa University in Zimbabwe. He holds a doctorate of Business Administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has researched and published extensively on branding strategy, destination marketing and destination branding. He has over 10 years of experience teaching business strategy, tourism marketing, brand management and research for business.

Chantal Epie is a Professor of Human Resource Management at the School of Management and Social Sciences of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria, as well as an MBTI certified practitioner. Her research focus for the past 20 years has been work–family integration and family-responsible management.

Emma Etim is a doctoral student with the Department of Public Administration, Lagos State University, Nigeria, and a researcher at Lagos Business School/Pan Atlantic University. He holds bachelor of Science and master of Science degrees in Public Administration and Political Science, respectively. He also has an advanced diploma in Business Management and Leadership. Before joining Lagos Business School, Etim lectured at the Lagos State Polytechnic, where he taught Business Research Methods. He has also worked in the Office of the Permanent Secretaries, Lagos State Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, and Lagos State Ministry of Education, all in Alausa, Lagos State. He is a Certified Asian Reviewer and has co-authored over 25 articles in reputable international and local journals, and has made some book chapter contributions. Etim has attended and presented papers at many conferences and has won many awards.

Jacob Fatile is Professor in the Department of Public Administration, Lagos State University, Nigeria. Fatile obtained his bachelor of Science, master of Science and doctorate degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Lagos and University of Benin, respectively. He was a former Head of Department of Public Administration and Deputy Director Open and Distance Learning and Research Institute (ODLRI). He is the Director of the Institute for Public Policy, Law and Economic Development of the International Institute for Policy Review and Development Strategies. He is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Management, IT and Governance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He is currently an Honourary Full professor with UKZN. Fatile is a member of many reputable academic and professional associations. He has published extensively in reputable local and international journals.

Deepika Faugoo is Senior Lecturer and Co-chairperson Equal Opportunities Unit, School of Business, Management and Finance, University of Technology Mauritius. She lectures on all aspects of human resource management, strategy, leadership & empowerment, gender, equality and diversity management from undergraduate to postgraduate levels and has also developed the curriculum for several courses in management at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She has been the former Head of School of Business, Management & Finance at the University of Technology Mauritius levels. She has attended several international conferences and published many peer-reviewed research publications in reputed journals. Her research interests are in the area of gender and management, women in leadership, human resource management, employee wellness, leadership and empowerment & management of change. She has also organized several workshops on women in leadership for several categories of women in the workplace in Mauritius.

Denish B. Galimaka is a Lecturer and doctoral candidate at the Makerere University Business School. His research interest is in the area of organisational agility with a specific orientation to knowledge resources manipulation, social innovation and the management of dynamic fractal organisations across overlapping sectors.

Evelyn Chiyevo Garwe holds a PhD in Animal Sciences (2002, University of Zimbabwe jointly with the Scottish Agricultural College DFID Scholarship, Zimbabwe/Scotland). Currently she is the Pro Vice-Chancellor: Internationalisation, Business Development, Research and Networking with the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU). She previously worked as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE). She recently completed a three-year project on ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education in Zimbabwe’, a project that culminated in her co-editing the first-ever comprehensive book on Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Global South. She researches transformation and quality issues in all aspects of higher education, inclusive of leadership and governance, research, internationalisation, gender and financing.

Chipo Katsande is a Lecturer in Information Systems and Computer Science at Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences, Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, Zimbabwe. She holds a master of Computer Science and master of Business Administration from the University of Zimbabwe. She has vast experience as a Software Engineer, Systems Analyst and Development. Her interest and publications are in systems development, administration and security, software engineering, database development and administration, information security, data analytics, artificial intelligence, algorithms, programming and web applications.

Natasha Mataire is a Political Science and International Relations graduate of the University of Zimbabwe. She is an independent researcher who specialises in governance, human rights and international relations. Natasha has published widely, including a book chapter in Zimbabwe's Trajectory: Stepping Forward or Sliding Back?

Wilson Williams Mutumba holds a master's degree in Leadership and Governance from Makerere University (MSC L& G) and a BBA from Makerere University, Uganda. He is a full-time Lecturer at Makerere University Business School and currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Public Administration at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He has over 13 years of lecturing experience in management related courses. His research interests are in the areas of Local Government service delivery, Decentralisation, Business ethics, Ethical work behaviour, Leadership and Integrity in public service. He is a Ugandan by nationality.

Annet K. Nabatanzi-Muyimba, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Public Policy at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Kampala, Uganda. She has over 20 years of lecturing, research, consultancy and management experience. She has special research interests in enterprise competitiveness, commercialisation of innovations and new technologies, CSR management, gender mainstreaming, governance and public policy implementation.

Rita Nasr is a doctoral researcher at Henley Business School, UK. Her research explores the institutional role of middle level brokers in developing recycling practices. She has researched flexible working practices pre and post the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitates learning in the UK higher education sector. She serves as editorial administrator for Planning Theory and deploys her expertise in spatial transformation for governance in urban design, planning and sustainable development. Rita holds a BA in Architecture and a master’s in Urban Planning. She participates regularly in international conferences where she presents on dynamic urban transformations and waste management practices.

Brighton Nyagadza is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Marketing Management) candidate at Midlands State University (MSU) in Zimbabwe. He is a full-time digital marketing Lecturer and Acting Chairperson for Supply Chain Management and Marketing Management Department at Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (MUAST) in Zimbabwe. He is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in the United Kingdom, Power Member of the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) in Ireland, Dublin, and Full Member of the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ). His interdisciplinary research expertise revolves around digital marketing, corporate storytelling for branding and marketing metrics with various refereed publications and book chapters.

Tawanda Nyikadzino is a Public Administration/Public Policy expert who specialises in decentralisation and devolutionary policies and reforms. He teaches Public Policy courses at Africa University, College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance. Tawanda holds a PhD in Public Management and Governance (University of Johannesburg, South Africa), a master of Public Administration and a BSc (Hons) in Administration (University of Zimbabwe) and a Research Methodology Certificate (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa). His research interests are in public policy, local governance, decentralisation/devolution reforms and intergovernmental relations.

Theresa Obuobisa-Darko is a Senior Lecturer in the School of IT Business at the Ghana Communication Technology University. She holds a PhD in Public Administration and Policy Management and an MBA in Human Resource Management both from University of Ghana and an MA in Organisational Development from University of Cape Coast. She has experience in teaching and research. Her research interests include Leadership, Performance Management, Employee and Career Satisfaction and Employee Engagement. She has published in peer-reviewed international journals and presented papers at both international and national conferences.

Kemi Ogunyemi holds a degree in Law from the University of Ibadan, an LLM from the University of Strathclyde and MBA and PhD degrees from Pan-Atlantic University. She currently teaches Business Ethics, Managerial Anthropology, Self-leadership and Sustainability Management at the Lagos Business School. She is also the director of the Christopher Kolade Centre for Research in Leadership and Ethics as well as the academic director for the School's Senior Management Programme. Her consulting and research interests include personal ethos, work–life ethic, social responsibility, sustainability, governance and anti-corruption risk assessment. She has authored numerous publications and is the editor of the 3-volume resource for faculty in tertiary institutions – Teaching Ethics Across the Management Curriculum as well as of African Virtue Ethics Traditions for Business and Management, Humanistic Perspectives in Hospitality and Tourism, Responsible Management in Africa and Management and Leadership for a Sustainable Africa. She also wrote the book ‘Responsible Management: Understanding Human Nature, Ethics, and Sustainability.

Frank Ohemeng is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Political Science, Concordia University. He obtained his PhD in Comparative Public Policy and Administration from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. His main research interests are in areas of comparative public policy, public management, comparative public administration, leadership, and development administration and management. His current research focuses on traditional leaders (chief), as policy entrepreneurs in Canada and Ghana. His publications have appeared in highly ranked international journals including the International Review of Administrative Sciences, Public Management Review, American Public Administration Review, International Journal of Public Administration, International Journal of Public Leadership, Canadian Public Administration, Public Organization Review and many more.

Adaora I. Onaga is a Lecturer in the Institute of Humanities, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU). She holds an MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan and a specialisation in Internal Medicine and Nephrology from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a fellow of both the National Postgraduate Medical College and the West African College of Physicians. She holds an MSc in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy, and a PhD in Philosophy, summa cum laude, from the same university. Her doctoral thesis focused on the interfaces between the biological and philosophical sciences in the confrontation of human pain. She currently teaches General Ethics, Peace Studies and Nigerian Peoples and Culture to undergraduate students. She has taught Medicine, Nephrology, Philosophical Anthropology and Gnoseology in the past. Her current research interests are in the areas of Medical Humanities, Phenomenology of Illness and Ethics. She has published in Nephrology and Philosophy journals.

Goodness Onwuegbuna is a doctoral student with the Department of Public Administration, Lagos State University, Nigeria, and a Lecturer at Bells University of Technology, Nigeria. She holds a bachelor of Science and master of Science degree in Public Administration, respectively. She also has a master’s in Public Management. Before joining Bells University of Technology, Onwuegbuna served as an Administrative Officer at Babcock University, Nigeria. She has also worked in the Office of the General Manager, Skypower Aviation Handle Company, Ikeja, Lagos, and the office of the State Director, NYSC Gombe State. She has co-authored four articles in reputable international and local journals and has a book chapter contribution. She has attended and presented papers at three conferences across Nigeria.

Moses Onyoin, PhD, is a Researcher and a Lecturer at the Faculty of Business Law and Politics at the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Public Policy at Makerere University Business School, Uganda. He is an organisational researcher whose work is at the intersection of organisation theory and public policy. His current research interests are in the governance of inter-organisational collaborations, public -private partnerships, cross-sectorial and multi-actor partnerships, management of temporary organisations and project-based organising. He also has interest in understanding how different elements of context shape management practices in mega projects and programmes. His work has been published in public sector management and organisational behaviour outlets.

Kenneth Parku is a Lecturer and a Research Assistant with extensive experience and skills in research, and works with Wisconsin International University College, Ghana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management and a master of Philosophy in Human Resource Management from Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, and the University of Ghana, respectively, and is currently a PhD student. His research interests lie in the area of human resource management, labour relations and public sector HR. Kenneth has collaborated actively with researchers in several other disciplines such as public administration. His publications have appeared in highly ranked international journals including African Journal of Employee Relations.

Lebene Soga is a Program Director and Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Leadership at Henley Business School, UK. His research explores a range of themes, including the social aspects of technologies in organisational life, entrepreneurship ecosystems and manager–employee relations. He regularly presents his research at international conferences for business leaders, academics and policymakers to progress the understanding of various organisational challenges for start-up businesses, multinationals and the implications of new technologies for the practice of leadership. His insights regularly feature within Business Value Exchange, CIPD, ACCA Global and Forbes. He has published seminal papers in leading academic and practitioner outlets, including Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology and Small Business Economics.

Promise Zvavahera holds a PhD in Business Administration (Human Capital Management) from the National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe. Promise Zvavahera is a Human Capital Specialist, Researcher and Lecturer with interests in Human Resources Management, Industrial Relations, Business Communication, Corporate Governance, Quality assurance, gender, branding and Strategic Management. Currently he is the Human Resources Registrar at Africa University, Zimbabwe. He has published extensively in the areas of Business and Education.

Foreword

Two perhaps shared characteristics of major disruptions are that, firstly, they are unearthing weaknesses of the status quo ante, much more than causing those weaknesses and that, secondly, they test our resilience while providing both opportunities and challenges. Work values are at the heart of both of those characteristics as they can be the root cause of weaknesses that become apparent with disruption, and they are a driver of organisational resilience and its capacity to innovate so that the opportunities disruptions hold can be spotted and seized and the challenges they provide can be mitigated.

Given their outstanding track record on researching and working with executives on these topics, Kemi Ogunyemi and Adaora I. Onaga are uniquely positioned to help us reflect on those inherent connections between values in general and work values specifically. Furthermore, the integrity with which they conduct their work allows for valuable insights into the normativity of work values and how they relate to an organisation’s capacity to respond to disruptions in a productive way.

And disruption we have seen over the last years. The speed, depth and breadth at which the COVID-19 pandemic had propelled us into the unknown was overwhelming to say the least. I had written in early 2020 that we have been propelled into a state of hyper-VUCA as we experienced much heightened Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. While I still think this was an accurate depiction, I was wrong on two counts. At the time I had underestimated the duration and severity of the pandemic, but at the same time I had overestimated the negative impact it would generate on our global community. Today I think that by and large we are coming through this pandemic surprisingly well, we are strong, we are resilient. Of course, tremendous human losses and suffering have occurred, and each corona death is an immeasurable tragedy. Authorities have not informed globally and transparently, as is their obligation, at the very beginning of the pandemic; governments around the world were painfully slow at times in debating the economic cost of a lockdown versus the lives it could save as if there was a choice to be made between the two; or the availability of vaccines still is unacceptably uneven around the world. But the world has not collapsed; states have not failed; supplies with basic goods and services have been upkept; while health systems have partially collapsed in parts of the world, they have also recovered; and most people around the world acted with discipline and solidarity in following strict rules that were imposed to slow down the spread of the disease.

These rules meant for millions of employees to no longer work in an office but to stay at home and somehow create a productive working environment in their homes and get on with their jobs. Remarkably they did. We have learned over the last couple of years that most people who can do their job anywhere, will do their job anywhere. Employees around the globe stayed productive, focused and willing to contribute to their organisations when they were forced to work from home; most did not view working from home as an invitation to do less, most did not drop in productivity and most were using their newfound autonomy responsibly.

Most employees welcomed working from home for saving commuting time, being more flexible in organising the workday and gaining a feeling of empowerment from autonomy. However, this adaptation has not been without challenges, and shifting work values are closely linked to both, how we master those challenges and also how we best benefit from the welcomed aspects of working from home.

Without a physical separation of work and private life we need to reevaluate how we want to determine office hours. Increased flexibility for employees regarding their working hours is great but understandably employers want to be confident that they can reach out to an employee when needed. Work-related mental health problems that have been on the rise already before the pandemic will have to be monitored more diligently as a healthy work–life balance is harder to achieve when work and personal life is increasingly blended, overlapping and interwoven throughout the working day. A culture of caring for each other seems harder to maintain in a virtual workspace. I also observe very clearly that the initial excitement of working from home has worn off somewhat. Many of us miss the social interaction, the coffee breaks, the informal meeting opportunities, the little ad hoc conversations that can solve big problems, all of which are very difficult to replicate in a video conference. Many workers really want to go to the office. Not every day, not on a fixed schedule, but they want to have the option for doing so.

It is, however, not only employees who need to adapt to these new circumstances but also management must learn to lead remotely. In fact, my observation is that those who have encountered the greatest difficulties when moving to a home office environment were middle managers of large organisations. They suddenly experienced that walking the floor and checking that everyone in the team was doing alright was no longer possible. Be it to genuinely offer support or to have a look over everyone's shoulder, many middle managers thought of this as a vital part of their leadership role and then found things running just fine without their physical presence, direct support and supervision.

There are also financial implications for both the business and the individual employee. Who, for example, is responsible for ensuring that health and safety standards at the workplace are maintained in a home office environment? When a bar stool at the kitchen counter becomes the home office, it is not difficult to see an employee developing back problems in a decade or so, but who will cover the cost for a healthy home office environment? There are also facility managers intensely looking at ways to downsize their office space. Employees working from home can create substantial cost savings but are there corresponding plans to pass on some of those savings to employees so they can afford bigger housing that includes a dedicated home office space?

These are but a few themes where strong work values are needed to drive decisions by which all of those people who create value in an organisation are respected, and their contributions are appreciated. Work values are also at the heart of our activities at the Humanistic Management Network. Respect for our dignity, integrating ethical considerations in management decisions and the ongoing exchange with stakeholders are in fact the three main pillars of how we define Humanistic Management. We strongly believe that businesses will succeed in competitive market environments and overcome disruption when they step up efforts to strengthen their positive impact towards a more equitable and more sustainable planet. We know that strong work values, shared throughout an organisation, are foundational for those efforts.

Undoubtably the world would be a better place without the COVID-19 pandemic, but what a waste it would be to not use the disruptions it has caused to also reflect on the values that drive us at work. Simply returning to the status quo ante would mean giving up the opportunities it holds to create more meaningful workplaces in businesses that better serve us all, and this book can help us in doing so.

I therefore want to wholeheartedly congratulate all authors and the editors for writing such an insightful, timely and relevant book, and I am wishing you, the readers, plentiful inspiration and insights for using values to manage the new shifts in work modes in ways that are beneficial to your organisation as well as all of its stakeholders.

Ernst von Kimakowitz

Co-founder and Managing Director, Humanistic Management Network