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1 – 10 of over 6000Andrew Ebekozien, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Samuel Adeniyi Adekunle, John Aliu and Wellington Didibhuku Thwala
Studies show that the twenty-first-century construction industry needs reskilling and upskilling tools to train large numbers of the workforce for better-integrated project…
Abstract
Purpose
Studies show that the twenty-first-century construction industry needs reskilling and upskilling tools to train large numbers of the workforce for better-integrated project delivery. Evidence shows that digitisation via the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technology can play a critical role in reskilling and competency demand. Attempting to use digital technology may have had some challenges. Studies about the perceived hindrances facing Nigeria's built environment professionals (BEP) reskilling and upskilling needs in the workplace via 4IR technologies are scarce. Thus, the study investigated the perceived encumbrances facing Nigeria's BEP training needs and proffered measures to improve their performance in the workplace via 4IR technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers engaged BEP in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. Regarding the data collection, a qualitative research design was adopted. The study achieved saturation after 32 virtual interviews. A thematic analysis was adopted for the collected data.
Findings
The study shows that using 4IR for reskilling and upskilling will enhance integrated project delivery. But the level of usage in training needs is low. Findings identified the various ways reskilling and upskilling could be achieved. Also identified are the major built environment areas that require 4IR training. Findings highlighted possible encumbrances facing the use of 4IR technologies by Nigerian BEP for reskilling and upskilling needs in the workplace and proffered feasible measures to improve 4IR usage for training needs.
Research limitations/implications
The study is restricted to the perceived encumbrances and proffers measures to improve BEP reskilling and upskilling needs via 4IR technologies via a qualitative method. Future research is required to validate the findings and test the proposed framework that emerged from the study.
Practical implications
The study confirms that reskilling and upskilling measures are required at all skill levels and may lead to economic growth. The paper would advance Nigerian higher educational accreditation agencies and various BEP regulatory bodies to review the curriculum and incorporate 4IR as a component or module.
Originality/value
The thematic network analysis and proposed framework could be utilised to stimulate Nigeria's BEP reskilling and upskilling needs in the workplace via 4IR technologies. It would stir main stakeholders, especially government policymakers, to facilitate programmes to improve 4IR technologies usage.
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Fara Azmat, Ahmed Shahriar Ferdous, Faisal Wali, Mohammad Badrul Muttakin and Mohammed Ziaul Haque
This study examines whether engagement with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-focused specialized training programs enable senior public officials (focal actor) to collectively…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines whether engagement with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-focused specialized training programs enable senior public officials (focal actor) to collectively deliver on public services that have a transformational societal impact over time. Further, the study explores the factors that impede and facilitate the delivery of such services. The authors do so by using service mechanics theorization and drawing on the lens of actor and collective engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertakes a longitudinal exploratory qualitative study design. SDG-focused training programs were delivered, as interventions, for two cohorts of senior public officials from Bangladesh in an Australian University in 2017 and 2019. In-depth interviews were conducted upon the training's completion and then after 8- and 12-month intervals to assess the short- and long-term impact respectively.
Findings
An empirical framework is proposed from the study findings. It shows that engagement – cognitive, emotional and behavioral – with SDG-focused specialized training programs enables focal actors (i.e. senior public officials) to engage other actors (other public officials, community members) in networks, facilitated the delivery of SDG-aligned public services. Such engagement results in a transformative impact that spans micro (individual), meso (organizational) and macro (societal) levels over time. Factors that impede and facilitate SDG-aligned delivery of public services are also identified.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretically, the authors contribute to the literature that relates to actor and collective engagement, SDG-focused capacity-building training programs and service mechanics. Practically, this study informs organizations about the ways that they can effectively engage their senior employees with capacity-building training programs that focus on sustainability.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few that connects the interface between public service delivery for enacting societal changes and SDG-focused capacity-building training programs through service mechanics theorization and using the lens of actor and collective engagement.
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Ayesha Zia, Mumtaz Ali Memon, Muhammad Zeeshan Mirza, Yasmine Muhammad Javaid Iqbal and Adeel Tariq
Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, the primary goal of this study is to conceptualise and empirically validate a theoretical framework that explains the process…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, the primary goal of this study is to conceptualise and empirically validate a theoretical framework that explains the process by which digital job resources influence the innovative work behaviour of technological professionals. Specifically, this study aims to examine the impact of digital job resources, especially digital training, and digital communication, on employee digital engagement. Furthermore, it investigates the influence of digital engagement on digital leadership and the effect of digital leadership on innovative work behaviour. Lastly, the study examines whether digital engagement and digital leadership serially mediate the relationship between digital job resources and innovative work behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from full-time technological professionals using multiple sampling techniques. A total of 307 samples were utilised for the final data analysis. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), employing SmartPLS 4.0, was used to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
The findings of this study emphasize that digital engagement and digital leadership are pivotal in mediating the impact of digital communication on technological professionals' innovative work behaviour. Specifically, our results show that digital communication significantly shapes the digital engagement of these professionals. Digital engagement, in turn, positively influences digital leadership, which then fosters technological professionals’ innovative work behaviour. Notably, both digital engagement and digital leadership serve as mechanisms that link digital communication and innovative work behaviour. Contrary to our initial expectations, the study finds that digital training neither directly affects digital engagement nor has an indirect effect on innovative work behaviour.
Originality/value
The present study is distinct in offering a theoretical framework outlining the steps through which digital resources influence technological professionals' digital engagement, digital leadership capabilities, and their innovative work behaviour. Prior studies have predominantly focused on antecedents of innovative work behaviour, with an emphasis on individual characteristics and organisational environmental factors. There is limited research exploring how, or even if, digital job resources – such as digital training and digital communication – affect employees’ innovative work behaviour. Additionally, the examination of the interrelationship between digital engagement and digital leadership is notably lacking in existing literature. Much of the research has instead probed the converse relationship: how leadership styles impact employees' engagement. Lastly, this research is among the pioneering efforts to consider the serial mediating role of digital engagement and digital leadership between digital job resources and innovative work behaviour, a topic that remains underrepresented in academic discourse. This study addresses these gaps.
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This research paper aims to integrate the employee-related factors that empirical literature considers antecedents of performance (skills, work motivation, personal…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper aims to integrate the employee-related factors that empirical literature considers antecedents of performance (skills, work motivation, personal characteristics) into a multiple linear regression model, and to test such a model in order to measure the level of each individual factor on the performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative, multisource research approach. After testing the validity of the model with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, this research applies the multiple linear regression model Work performance = a(Skills) + b(Work Motivation) + c(Personal Characteristics) + e(constant) to two different samples of workers: chemical technicians (N = 63) and salespeople (N = 61).
Findings
This study confirms the factorial structure of the antecedents of work performance, showing that skills, motivation, and personal characteristics are three general employee-related factors underlying work performance. The statistical analysis highlights a variance in performance between 40 and 65% explained by employee-related factors, hence leaving 35–60% as due to factors outside the model (firm/environment-related and/or job-related factors, or other skills and personal characteristics not considered in the model). The study also highlights that employee-related factors sometimes affect performance differently than job designers' expectations, and sometimes even negatively.
Research limitations/implications
The equation was tested on two case studies, so further explorations are needed. Furthermore, the approach adopted is inductive thus describing performance as it is, not as it should be. Therefore, it explains the best actual performance of workers, not the ideal performance.
Practical implications
The equation tested here represents a simple and valid tool to guide many Human Resource Management practices, such as; selection, training, development, and career orientation.
Social implications
Findings provide a valid indication for designing and managing human resource management systems more even-handedly, from an organizational and employee point of view. In doing so, it drives organizations towards a better Person/Job fit.
Originality/value
The study represents one of the first attempts to take into consideration multiple factors simultaneously in explaining work performance.
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Alpa Dhanani, Penny Chaidali, Nina Sharma and Evangelia Varoutsa
This paper examines the efforts of National Health Service (England) (NHSE) to respond to employee-based racial inequalities via its Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the efforts of National Health Service (England) (NHSE) to respond to employee-based racial inequalities via its Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). The WRES constitutes a hybridised accountability initiative with characteristics of the moral and imposed regimes of accountability.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conceptualises the notion of responsive race accountability with recourse to Favotto et al.’s (2022) moral accountability model and critical race theory (CRT), and through it, examines the enactment of WRES at 40 NHSE trusts using qualitative content analysis.
Findings
Despite the progressive nature of the WRES that seeks to nurture corrective actions, results suggest that trusts tend to adopt an instrumental approach to the exercise. Whilst there is some evidence of good practice, the instrumental approach prevails across both the metric reporting that trusts engage in to guide their actions, and the planned actions for progress. These planned actions not only often fail to coalesce with the trust-specific data but also include generic NHSE or equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and mimetic adoptions of best practice guidance that only superficially address racial concerns.
Social implications
Whilst the WRES is a laudable voluntary achievement, its moral imperative does not appear to have translated into a moral accountability within individual trusts.
Originality/value
Responding to calls for more research at the accounting-race nexus, this study uniquely draws on CRT to conceptualise and examine race accountability.
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Jimmy Ezekiel Kihwele, Edward Noel Mwamakula and Raiza Mtandi
Assessment feedback is vital in identifying learning gaps, correcting misconceptions and adjusting teaching strategies. In many teacher training programs, instructors and…
Abstract
Purpose
Assessment feedback is vital in identifying learning gaps, correcting misconceptions and adjusting teaching strategies. In many teacher training programs, instructors and pre-service teachers rarely reflect on assessment feedback; hence, it does not inform teaching and learning with constructive remedies. Studies have indicated the role of e-portfolios in elevating pedagogical skills; however, this does not apply well in contexts where teachers hardly access the internet. The study explored printed-based portfolio use for AaL and AfL in developing pedagogical skills among pre-service teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an exploratory case study design in a class of 120 students, the study interviewed 14 respondents, twelve of whom were pre-service teachers and two instructors. Further, the study thoroughly reviewed 120 students’ portfolios to obtain adequate information. Researchers employed the content analysis method for data analysis.
Findings
Findings indicate that instructors and pre-service teachers underwent the learning process, un-learning and re-learning appropriate pedagogical skills by reflecting on the assessment feedback on their portfolios. Also, peer review enhanced the broadening of their perspectives regarding students and pedagogical approaches. Like instructors, the process enhanced the adjustment of teaching strategies to suit learners’ diverse needs.
Originality/value
Portfolio-based assessment feedback and development of pedagogical skills is an original work based on actual teaching practices. Instructors integrated the portfolio to enhance reflective practices, i.e. self-reflection, inquiry and self-regulated learning for pre-service teachers to adjust their pedagogical skills.
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Mazen M. Omer, Rahimi A. Rahman, Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi and Saud Almutairi
This study aims to assess the competency gap among construction industry professionals concerning the competencies required for identifying construction activities that produce…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the competency gap among construction industry professionals concerning the competencies required for identifying construction activities that produce recyclable materials. Accordingly, the study objectives are threefold: to identify key competencies, analyze the disparity between the level of importance and level of competence for each competency, and quantify the criticality of the competency gaps.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted to identify and categorize 20 competencies into knowledge, skills, and abilities. The competencies formed the basis for a questionnaire survey distributed to construction industry professionals. 120 valid responses were collected and analyzed using mean and normalized values, Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, and competency gap analysis.
Findings
The findings highlight eight key competencies: ability to prepare sustainable designs, skills in trading construction waste materials, skills in lean construction techniques, skills in designing out waste in construction activities, knowledge of diagnosing construction waste generation, knowledge of construction-related waste design, knowledge of the practice of sustainable facilities management, and knowledge on the sustainable characteristics of construction activities. Despite their importance, critical competency gaps exist among these key competencies and must be addressed.
Originality/value
This study equips decision-makers with insights to manage natural resources efficiently, offers practitioners a list of key competencies for sustainable project management, and provides researchers with a solid foundation for further investigations to advance sustainability in construction.
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Jillian Cavanagh, Hannah Meacham, Patricia Pariona-Cabrera and Timothy Bartram
The purpose of the scoping review is to develop understandings around the high demand for in-home healthcare for the aged and how to find ways to better support declining numbers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the scoping review is to develop understandings around the high demand for in-home healthcare for the aged and how to find ways to better support declining numbers of in-home care workers and healthcare professionals. The scoping review highlights the role of human resource management (HRM) in this sector.
Design/methodology/approach
This scoping review of literature takes a systematic approach to identify themes on the aged care sector and levels of support for in-home care. We map the literature from specific databases to find themes.
Findings
It is important for HRM of aged care service providers to understand the key issues around homecare workers and healthcare professionals. There are key issues for stakeholders, such as clients’ health needs, organizations struggling to recruit and retain healthcare workers, and it is critical to know how such issues impact on clients and the healthcare workforce.
Originality/value
There is a dearth of literature on in-home care for the aged, and therefore, we contribute to understandings about the competing pressures surrounding the demand for in-home care versus the declining number of homecare workers and professional healthcare workers in this sector. We highlight the lack of HRM support from aged care providers and the impact on homecare workers.
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Hammadallah Al-Husban and Robert M. Yawson
This study investigates the impact of organizational ambidexterity on employee performance within Jordanian clearance companies, focusing on the mediating role of organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of organizational ambidexterity on employee performance within Jordanian clearance companies, focusing on the mediating role of organizational learning. This research aims to explore how the dimensions of exploration and exploitation influence performance outcomes, including effectiveness and growth.
Design/methodology/approach
Using analytical descriptive research, this study uses SMART-PLS 4 for hypothesis testing and mediation analysis. A meticulously developed questionnaire, grounded in scholarly literature and vetted by experts, was distributed to 230 employees across the Jordanian clearance industry, achieving a 91.3% response rate.
Findings
This study found that companies do better when they effectively explore and exploit, especially if they also focus on learning and adapting. This insight is particularly useful for those in the human resource development and management fields who aim to boost employee performance and, ultimately, the success of their organizations. The findings reveal a significant indirect effect of organizational ambidexterity on performance through organizational learning. Ambidexterity explained 55.6% of the variance in organizational learning, and subsequently, organizational learning accounted for 47.4% of performance variance. The total performance variance was 81.8%, indicating a strong relationship between the constructs.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s scope is limited to the Jordanian clearance industry, suggesting the need for further research across different contexts and industries. The reliance on self-reported data may introduce bias, warranting future use of mixed methods for a more comprehensive understanding.
Practical implications
The findings underscore the importance of fostering organizational learning as a mediator between ambidexterity and performance. Companies should invest in strategies that enhance both exploratory and exploitative activities, leveraging organizational learning to improve performance outcomes.
Social implications
By highlighting the role of organizational learning in mediating the relationship between ambidexterity and performance, this research suggests pathways for businesses to contribute to economic growth and employee development within the Jordanian context and potentially beyond.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the field by examining the underexplored context of the Jordanian customs clearance industry and using a robust methodological framework to assess the relationship between organizational ambidexterity, learning and performance. It provides empirical evidence supporting the significant impact of balanced competency configurations on performance outcomes.
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Work-based learning is critical for enhancing employees’ skills and contributing to the firm’s performance. This paper aims to establish the effects of needs assessment on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Work-based learning is critical for enhancing employees’ skills and contributing to the firm’s performance. This paper aims to establish the effects of needs assessment on the relationship between training intensity as part of learning and how employees’ skills are reflected in firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper used the World Bank Tanzania Employees Skills Survey (TESS) dataset, which contains 424 firms. This paper estimated the moderated mediation model through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and employed the index of moderated mediation to determine if the model was correctly specified.
Findings
The results show that among three skills, i.e. technical, interpersonal/communication and work ethic skills, only the level of technical skills mediated the relationship between training and the firm’s performance. The index of moderated mediation suggests a threshold point for the firm’s training needs, above which the indirect effect of training on performance through technical skills starts to decrease. The negative correlation between the firm’s training needs and the indirect effect suggests that employees’ essential human capital qualities, viewed from the angle of their training needs, are among the key factors for executing effective training.
Research limitations/implications
This paper’s conceptual model is limited because it does not incorporate an education variable for the trained employees. In addition, it only conceptualized the perceived most important skills of interpersonal communication, technical skills and work ethic, despite there being other skills that could have been considered. Moreover, the data only measured the present skill level at three on the Likert scale, providing limited room for skill level variance.
Practical implications
Those who decide which training programme deserves priority given limited resources and the firm’s goals need to understand that training is an addition to what their employees already have and, thus, should make extra efforts to equip them with more knowledge relating to their assignments. Moreover, this understanding should extend to the employees themselves.
Originality/value
The paper introduced and showed the necessity of training needs assessment to increase the value of training in enhancing the firm’s performance. We propose a model for assessing training intensity through process analysis. The respective model depicts a threshold point for the firm’s training needs, below which the training will work.
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