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Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Michael J.R. Butler

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential implications and non-implications for leadership and organization development of a recent systematic review of empirical…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential implications and non-implications for leadership and organization development of a recent systematic review of empirical developments in organizational cognitive neuroscience (OCN).

Design/methodology/approach

Butler et al.’s (2016) systematic review of 40 empirical articles related to OCN is re-interpreted in terms of its potential to reveal (non-) implications for practice. OCN is critically discussed, then related to the research findings from studies with two methodological designs.

Findings

At this stage of OCN’s emergence, it appears that neuroimaging and physiology-based research methods have equal potential in their implications for practice, though hormonal data poses ethical public interest dilemmas. Both methods cannot be reduced to specific forms of application to practice, but they set an aspirational direction for the future development of leadership and organizations.

Practical implications

There appear to be two paces of translational activity – practitioners are moving more quickly than academics in applying OCN to practice. It is suggested that a meeting of minds may be needed to ensure that any risks associated with applying OCN to practice are minimized or eliminated.

Social implications

Inter-disciplinary research, like OCN, requires a social consensus about how basic research in cognitive neuroscience can be applied to organizations. A think tank will provide opportunities for deeper engagement and co-production between academics and practitioners.

Originality/value

Critically exploring the potential implications of OCN for practice, by basing the discussion on a systematic review of empirical developments.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2010

Michael J.R. Butler and Peter Reddy

This paper aims to focus on developing critical understanding in human resource management (HRM) students in Aston Business School, UK. The paper reveals that innovative teaching…

1757

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on developing critical understanding in human resource management (HRM) students in Aston Business School, UK. The paper reveals that innovative teaching methods encourage deep approaches to study, an indicator of students reaching their own understanding of material and ideas. This improves student employability and satisfies employer need.

Design/methodology/approach

Student response to two second year business modules, matched for high student approval rating, was collected through focus group discussion. One module was taught using EBL and the story method, whilst the other used traditional teaching methods. Transcripts were analysed and compared using the structure of the ASSIST measure.

Findings

Critical understanding and transformative learning can be developed through the innovative teaching methods of enquiry‐based learning (EBL) and the story method.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation is that this is a single case study comparing and contrasting two business modules. The implication is that the study should be replicated and developed in different learning settings, so that there are multiple data sets to confirm the research finding.

Practical implications

Future curriculum development, especially in terms of HE, still needs to encourage students and lecturers to understand more about the nature of knowledge and how to learn. The application of EBL and the story method is described in a module case study – “Strategy for Future Leaders”.

Originality/value

This is a systematic and comparative study to improve understanding of how students and lecturers learn and of the context in which the learning takes place.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 34 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2010

Michael J.R. Butler and Lidia Gheorghiu

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how a UK business school is addressing the Government's skills strategy through its Graduate Certificate in Management, and to identify…

1434

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how a UK business school is addressing the Government's skills strategy through its Graduate Certificate in Management, and to identify good practice and development needs and to clarify how the Graduate Certificate is adapting to the needs of Generation X and Millennial students. The paper also aims to test Kolb and Kolb's experiential learning theory (ELT) in a business school setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology was adopted. In order to get a cross‐section of views and triangulate the data, three focus groups were held, supported by reading documentation about the programme of study.

Findings

The skills strategy is not just an ambition for some business schools, but is already part of the curriculum. Generation X and the Millennials have more in common with the positive attitudes associated with older generations than stereotyped views might allow. ELT provides a useful theoretical framework for evaluating a programme of study and student attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings from one case study are reported, limiting the generalisability of the study.

Practical implications

Good practice and development needs are identified which support the implementation of the Government's skills strategy and address employer concerns about student skills.

Originality/value

New empirical data are reported which supports the use of ELT in evaluating programmes of study and student attitudes to work.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 52 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2009

Michael J.R. Butler, Mike Sweeney and David Crundwell

The purpose of the paper is to present the findings of a study of factory closure management. It details the sequence and the results of the key strategic manufacturing management…

2310

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to present the findings of a study of factory closure management. It details the sequence and the results of the key strategic manufacturing management decisions made from the time of the announcement of the plant closure to the cessation of operations. The paper also includes an analysis of the human resource management (HRM) actions taken during this same time period and their consequences upon all those involved in the closure management process.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study methodology consisted of two initial site visits to monitor closure management effectiveness (adherence to plan and the types and frequency of closure management communications). During these visits, documentary evidence of the impact of the closure decision upon production performance was also collected (manufacturing output and quality performance data). Following plant closure, interviews were held with senior business, production and HRM managers and production personnel. A total of 12 interviews were carried out.

Findings

The case study findings have informed the development of a conceptual model of facility closure management. Information obtained from the interviews suggests that the facility closure management process consists of five key management activities. The unexpected announcement of a factory closure can cause behavioural changes similar to those of bereavement, particularly by those employees who are its survivors. In addition, similar reactions to the closure announcement may be displayed by those who choose to remain employed by the factory owner throughout the phased closure of the plant.

Originality/value

Facility closure management is an insufficiently researched strategic operations management activity. This paper details a recommended procedure for its management. A conceptual model has also been developed to illustrate the links between the key facility closure management tasks and the range of employee changes of behaviour that can be induced by their execution.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2010

Carl Senior and Robert Cubbidge

The purpose of this paper is to place all of the contributions to this special issue into a theoretical framework and to highlight the role that the so‐called “information age…

2026

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to place all of the contributions to this special issue into a theoretical framework and to highlight the role that the so‐called “information age mindset” has in the facilitation of employability skills.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the major themes of this special issue.

Findings

Undergraduate students do see the importance of technological innovation in the classroom but they see the development of experiential or work‐based skills to be more important.

Practical implications

Future curriculum design should consider the expectations and attitudes of the modern day undergraduate student to ensure that potential employability is maximised.

Originality/value

The findings are placed into the wider context of the emerging field of evolutionary educational psychology.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 52 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 19 June 2009

Andrew Taylor and Margaret Taylor

495

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2006

Andrew Cashin, Tony Butler, Michael Levy and Emily Potter

Between July and November 2001, a health survey of New South Wales (NSW) inmates was conducted by NSW Justice Health. A cross‐sectional random sample of inmates stratified by age…

149

Abstract

Between July and November 2001, a health survey of New South Wales (NSW) inmates was conducted by NSW Justice Health. A cross‐sectional random sample of inmates stratified by age, gender and Aboriginality (Aboriginal people are over‐represented in the NSW inmate population) that included approximately 10% of the male and 34% of the female inmate population participated in the study (n = 914). Of those invited to participate, 83% of males and 84% of females consented. One element of the study was the use of the Hayes Ability Screening Index. Inmates identified to be at risk for intellectual disability on the screening tool were referred to a psychologist who administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (n = 167). This paper discusses the implications of the results in terms of full scale IQ, in which 3% of men and 12.5% of women of those identified as being at risk on the screening index were identified as having an intellectual disability, and the overall cognitive profile of those tested. The implications for health education and therapy in prisons are considered.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2004

Michael J. Keeney, Andrea F. Snell, Steven J. Robison, Daniel V. Svyantek and Jennifer Bott

Measures of personality and organizational climate were subjected to three different analytical methods that extract patterns from data: Discriminant, Classification and…

Abstract

Measures of personality and organizational climate were subjected to three different analytical methods that extract patterns from data: Discriminant, Classification and Regression Trees, and neural network classification analysis. Risk, openness, rewards, and neuroticism (rather than conscientiousness) emerged as key variables in differentiating among three similar work groups. Results of the analyses support the central hypothesis of ASA theory of greater variance in personality across compared to within organizations and an interactionist paradigm between person and environment. Implications for ASA theory and for personnel selection are discussed.

Details

Organizational Analysis, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1551-7470

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1989

Stuart Hannabuss

The management of children′s literature is a search for value andsuitability. Effective policies in library and educational work arebased firmly on knowledge of materials, and on…

Abstract

The management of children′s literature is a search for value and suitability. Effective policies in library and educational work are based firmly on knowledge of materials, and on the bibliographical and critical frame within which the materials appear and might best be selected. Boundaries, like those between quality and popular books, and between children′s and adult materials, present important challenges for selection, and implicit in this process are professional acumen and judgement. Yet also there are attitudes and systems of values, which can powerfully influence selection on grounds of morality and good taste. To guard against undue subjectivity, the knowledge frame should acknowledge the relevance of social and experiential context for all reading materials, how readers think as well as how they read, and what explicit and implicit agendas the authors have. The good professional takes all these factors on board.

Details

Library Management, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1975

Knight's Industrial Law Reports goes into a new style and format as Managerial Law This issue of KILR is restyled Managerial Law and it now appears on a continuous updating basis…

Abstract

Knight's Industrial Law Reports goes into a new style and format as Managerial Law This issue of KILR is restyled Managerial Law and it now appears on a continuous updating basis rather than as a monthly routine affair.

Details

Managerial Law, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0558

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