Search results

Summarizes experience gained from implementation and review of the needs assessment process in 12 client‐driven applied research studies and puts it forth as a set of propositions which relate to decisions concerning organization and societal economic development projects. Suggests that a needs‐assessment process must be client‐owned, pragmatic and result in outcomes which are usable and perceived by stakeholders to be important. As well as being grounded in economic and research theory, a needs assessment must contain definable data sets comprising skill/knowledge profiles categorized into some usable format. The 12 studies provide support for these ideas, validating models characterized by intensive involvement and topdown/bottom‐up consultation developed in the authors′ previous publications.

Qualitative information‐gathering techniques are focused on to determine whether they can be adapted or adopted to support strategic goal‐setting. Much of the literature suggests that if planning is based on information gathered and presented in a manner which managers can understand they are more likely to act on it, and, for this reason, qualitative rather than quantitative techniques are stressed here. Factors which are not amenable to numerate analysis but which are useful to the strategic planner, such as experience, judgement and intuition, are also isolated and analysed. An attempt is made to facilitate the use of qualitative data‐gathering methods and suggestions are made as to where particular techniques may prove beneficial, together with their limitations. Research, from a small (n = 20), in‐depth survey of small business owners/ managers in Canada, is included which shows that they do not use quantitative planning processes but that judgemental techniques were most widely used; in general, the less sophisticated the planning process the higher it would be ranked among the survey participants. The research from other surveys also shows that scientific mathematically based models often do not fit with small business organisational reality and that methodologies should be developed that integrate research into the decision‐making process.

Outlines how human competency engineering can be used as a change maangement or organizational development tool, based upon studies conducted in Canada, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Suggests that a change model based on the practical application of social science and physical science concepts can be applied over several cultures.

Seeks to find predictors of learning organizations as determined by Marquardt’s Learning Organization Profile (1996). For this study, male and female professionals were asked to rate their perceptions about their organizations. They were asked to rate their organizational perceptions on rewards and recognition, training and education, information flow, vision and strategy, and individual team development. Finds that appropriate rewards and recognition are an undergirding structure to the learning organization and that an environment of knowledge sharing and learning systems is an indication of a learning organization. Results support the notion that interventions intended to aid in the metamorphose from a current organization state to that of a learning organization may wish to focus initially on these aspects.

Reports on a study of current and past training literature which suggests that, to be effective and to isolate both training needs and those problems having other, non‐trainable solutions, training must be preceded by a needs analysis. Proposes a needs assessment model to illustrate an optimum needs assessment process, and compares this model with the Ontario Government′s “Ontario Skill” (OS) programme, a multi‐million dollar, provincially‐funded training scheme. If, as the literature suggests, needs assessment must preclude training, then it is likely that OS monies are being wasted, as under the current administrative system it is virtually impossible to conduct in‐depth assessments. Suggests ways in which needs assessment can be improved, by shifting the burden from the Government′s consultants onto specially‐trained employer representatives. It is felt that such a shift would enable sufficient time to be spent on the thousands of needs assessments conducted every year under the auspices of this massive training initiative. The methodology suggested here would be applicable to any large‐scale provincial or state‐run industrial training programme.

The purpose of this paper is first to report an exploratory study intended to capture the elements of a leader's spirituality; and second to examine these elements against the current discussion of spiritual leadership in general, and the transcendental leadership model in particular.

Within a single case study scenario, the in‐depth interview method captures the elements of the leader's spirituality. Grounded theory is used to analyze the data.

The findings suggest that a spiritually driven leader's high internal locus, a strong passion for giving and caring for his followers, and spirituality epitomize the concept of transcendental leadership.

The major limitation concerns generalizability of the findings. While in‐depth studies of larger samples of spiritually driven business leaders are needed, these leaders could be drawn from different cultural settings. Using different assessment tools to measure various aspects of spirituality might provide helpful perspectives in future research aimed at understanding the relationships between spirituality and leadership styles.

The paper provides an alternative way of characterizing spiritually oriented leaders, as they strive to integrate spirituality to all aspects of their life.

The paper assesses the functionality of a spirituality‐driven business leader as early evidence of the viability of the concept of transcendental leadership. It is of value to academic researchers and practitioners.

Reviews a number of models, discussing the strengths and the weaknesses of each. In every case, the contribution to global competitiveness is highlighted, so that piece by piece, a comprehensive outline of current knowledge is developed. Based on this comprehensive background, a new model is proposed. As the authors have benefited from the work of many other scholars and practitioners, the “individually‐focused model” is a pragmatic tool that can be used by the practising manager.

Employee empowerment is one of the key management concepts of our time, but the empowerment concept has not yet become part of our corporate culture. In order to make it possible for managers to utilize empowerment concepts, the authors have developed a model, based on coaching, modeling and career path development in both an organizational and individual context. In the final section of the paper (Implications for Practicing Managers), the authors emphasize that implementation is not an easy task, as the manager must override traditional, authority‐based mindsets to develop a different paradigm.

Microenterprise can be defined as development from the bottom‐up. Many current economic intervention practices stem from the failed economic policies of developed nations, which rely primarily on structural adjustment as the dominant aspect of international (money lending‐based) support for development. This approach is still popular, even while the number of people in the world who fall below the poverty level is increasing. HRD microenterprise processes concentrate on empowering individuals to take ownership of their means of subsistence and development, while working towards an end, because they care about the goals and own the processes to achieve these goals. HRD microenterprise processes facilitate participation by ensuring that all stakeholders will be heard in the decision‐making processes, thus decreasing dependency. The microenterprise phenomenon, however, does not consist of unfamiliar activities; much of what is described in this paper is integral to well‐established Human Resource Development processes, ethics and values, utilized in developed countries.

A mentoring relationship has the potential to be widely used throughout an individual’s lifespan. Including mentoring relationships into one’s life can assist with transition management in and out of various life scenarios. A mentoring model has been proposed that blends human development with the dimensions of mentoring. It is assumed that the dimensions of the model are continuous and multidimensional. We recognize three interactive dimensions that surround the mentoring interaction which shape the mentor and protégé relationship. These dimensions are defined as: socialization; task development; and lifespan development. The model can be utilized as a diagnostic tool or as a training model to promote mentoring relationships.