Drawing on knowledge from process improvement, organisation theory, human resource management, change management, occupational health and safety, and other fields, the book is a practical, easy-to-read guide to problem solving. Illustrated with a series of short case studies, this book provides an integrated approach to problem solving in the workplace. Collaborative Problem Solving walks through the steps in the problem solving process, introducing dozens of tools, techniques, and concepts to use throughout. Chris J. Shannon describes the behaviours to practice which are most conducive to creating a positive problem solving culture based on curiosity, collaboration, and evidence-based thinking. This book explains why successful problem solving is a collaborative process and provides tools and techniques for responding to other people's behaviour when designing and implementing solutions. Offering practical advice on problem solving in an easy-to-understand way, this book is aimed at people working in office environments, service industries, and knowledge organisations, enabling them to feel confident in applying the knowledge from the book in their own workplace.

In the wake of the dot-com shakeout of 2000, the time is ripe for a reappraisal of how information technology (IT) has created new environments for businesses and workers in the US and Europe. This book draws on the experiences of the 1990s to discern successful strategies for competing and winning in the New Economy. The lessons are most sharply defined in specific regional clusters of innovation. Accordingly, contributors are mainly on-the-scene observers and practitioners from Silicon Valley, New England and Europe. The common theme is the attempt to find innovative ways (in part through non-traditional business models) to create and build increasingly networked, flexible, participatory companies. Drawing on the notion of entrepreneurial behavior as "the pursuit of goals that are beyond the means currently available," the collection examines management, leadership, and innovation issues in start-up and established companies alike. While recognizing the hard realities of the new competition, the book highlights emerging win-win scenarios. Enabled in part by the new IT systems, these new approaches help companies succeed by seeking and rewarding decision-making, initiative and creativity on the part of all employees.

This groundbreaking book arrives at a time of growing concern for the future of true scholarship. Morten Huse calls upon the scholarly community to reflect on the recent dramatic changes to academia, calling for coordinated efforts to reorganise the scholarly ecosystem. Offering a holistic view of academia, Huse outlines the institutions, audiences, messages, channels and communities that interact in this ecosystem, introducing a 'sharing philosophy' as the foundation of change. Reflecting on the past and looking to the future, this exciting book demands a communal approach to scholarship that comprises an open, innovative and impact-driven attitude to research that can change the academic game. Incisive and optimistic for the future, this book is crucial reading for PhD students and junior faculty members hoping to find new avenues for impactful and innovative research. Established scholars, as well as leaders of academic institutions, academies and associations concerned with recent structural changes to scholarship will also benefit from Huse's strong critique and alternative pathways.

Employers are increasingly recruiting their workers into politics to change elections and public policy - sometimes in coercive ways. Using a diverse array of evidence, including national surveys of workers and employers, as well as in-depth interviews with top corporate managers, Politics at Work explains why mobilization of workers has become an appealing corporate political strategy in recent decades. The book also assesses the effect of employer mobilization on the political process more broadly, including its consequences for electoral contests, policy debates, and political representation. In Politics at Work, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez shows that while employer political recruitment has some benefits for American democracy - for instance, getting more workers to the polls - it also has troubling implications for other aspects of political participation. Workers face considerable pressure to respond to their managers' political requests because of the economic power employers possess over workers. In spite of these worrisome patterns, corporate managers report that mobilization of workers is an important strategy for influencing politics. Politics at Work documents how companies consider mobilization of their workers to be even more effective at changing public policy than making campaign contributions or buying electoral ads. Hertel-Fernandez concludes by discussing when and why employer recruitment efforts represent problematic violations of workers' political rights. He then reviews policy proposals that could protect workers from employer political coercion and could also win the support of majorities of Americans. By carefully examining a growing yet underappreciated political practice, Politics at Work contributes to our understanding of the changing workplace, as well as the ways that businesses influence politics in the United States. The book offers fresh perspectives on debates over money in politics and will be valuable to anyone interested in the connections between inequality, public policy, and American democracy.

Today's organizational environment is characterized by high levels of cross-cultural, cross-national, and cross-religious communication, conflict, collaboration, and commerce. This environment produces myriad encounters between individuals who embrace different ideologies, religions and spiritual practices. As such, unanswered (and even unasked) questions about management, spirituality, and religion abound. This book, seeks to advance our understanding by asking the big questions. Blessed are Those Who Ask the Questions: What Should We be Asking About Management, Spirituality, and Religion in Organizations? is intended to be provocative in nature. Its chapters address novel ways that leadership, organizations, and organizational stakeholders mutually impact each other by their similarities and differences in religious, spiritual, and ideological traditions, cultures, and practices. Interdisciplinary in nature and firmly grounded in scholarly literature, this book identifies and maps out bold new trajectories for advancing the study of management spirituality, and religion (including but going far beyond Western, Christian conceptualizations of religion). Sometimes universal, sometimes quite specific, this volume identifies unexplored, underexplored, or unresolved issues in the field and proposes new streams of research. Diverse conceptual, empirical, theoretical, and critical treatments that honor a variety of inquiry styles and research methods push the boundaries of MSR research.

In Faithful Careers Peter M. Smudde contends that God calls us to live an "integrated life" that unifies both the spiritual and the secular aspects of life. As an introduction to integrating the Catholic faith with one's work, this book answers, in the Catholic context, basic questions of what work is, why work is important, who we are as workers, how may we have fruitful careers, where may we find help about faith-work integration, and when we should take next steps toward better integrating our work and the Catholic faith. Smudde demonstrates how the Catholic faith truly does apply to our labor, and that our lives depend on that labor, by putting forth particular matters of the faith that pertain to faithful careers. He then puts into real-world context, pertinent teachings, concepts, principles, practices, and other means the Catholic Church provides for us, so that those lessons can be practically applied on a daily basis. Sources such as the Bible and writings of the saints, popes, contemporary Catholic spiritual writers, apologists, and scholars are applied to strengthen the support made about the book's content. Catholic professionals at all stages of their careers will welcome this insightful book, which explores the call to put spirituality in the foreground-to obtain ever-deeper faith and, thereby, greater integration of faith in everyday life and career.

In Faithful Careers Peter M. Smudde contends that God calls us to live an "integrated life" that unifies both the spiritual and the secular aspects of life. As an introduction to integrating the Catholic faith with one's work, this book answers, in the Catholic context, basic questions of what work is, why work is important, who we are as workers, how may we have fruitful careers, where may we find help about faith-work integration, and when we should take next steps toward better integrating our work and the Catholic faith. Smudde demonstrates how the Catholic faith truly does apply to our labor, and that our lives depend on that labor, by putting forth particular matters of the faith that pertain to faithful careers. He then puts into real-world context, pertinent teachings, concepts, principles, practices, and other means the Catholic Church provides for us, so that those lessons can be practically applied on a daily basis. Sources such as the Bible and writings of the saints, popes, contemporary Catholic spiritual writers, apologists, and scholars are applied to strengthen the support made about the book's content. Catholic professionals at all stages of their careers will welcome this insightful book, which explores the call to put spirituality in the foreground-to obtain ever-deeper faith and, thereby, greater integration of faith in everyday life and career.

Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process causes (or may cause) the autonomy of various labor functions, and its impact in creating (or stymieing) various job opportunities on the labor market. This book also seeks to illuminate what actors/groups are mostly benefited by the digitalization/digital transformation and which actors/groups that are put at risk by it. This book takes its point of departure from a 2016 OECD report that contends that the impact digitalization has on the future of labor is ambiguous, as on the one hand it is suggested that technological change is labor-saving, but on the other hand, it is suggested that digital technologies have not created new jobs on a scale that it replaces old jobs. Another 2018 OECD report indicated that digitalization and automation as such does not pose a real risk of destroying any significant number of jobs for the foreseeable future, although tasks would by and large change significantly. This would affects welfare, as most of its revenue stems from taxation, and particularly so from the taxation on labor (directly or indirectly). For this reason, this book will set out to explore how the future technological and societal advancements impact labor conditions. The book seeks to provide an innovative, enriching and controversial take on how various aspects of the labor market can be (and are) affected the ongoing digitalization trend in a way that is not covered by extant literature. As such, this book intends to cater to a wider readership, from a general audience and students, to specialized professionals and academics wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the possible future developments of the labor market in light of an accelerating digitalization/digital transformation of society at large.

This book examines the phenomenon of work suicides in France and asks why, at the present historical juncture, conditions of work can push individuals to take their own lives. During the 2000s, France experienced what commentators have described as a 'suicide epidemic', whereby increasing numbers of workers in the face of extreme pressures of work, chose to kill themselves. The book analyses a corpus of testimonial material linked to 66 suicide cases across three large French companies during the period from 2005 to 2015. It aims to consider what the extreme and subjective act of self-killing, narrated in suicide letters, can tell us about the contemporary economic order and its impact on flesh and blood bodies. What do rising work-related suicides reveal about conditions of human labour in the twenty-first century? Does neoliberal economics condition a desire for suicide? How do suicidal individuals describe the causes and motivations of their act? Combining critical perspectives from sociology, history, testimony studies, economics, cultural studies and public health, the book raises critical questions about the human costs of the shift to a finance-driven neoliberal order and its everyday effects within the French workplace.

The mental health pandemic manifests everywhere, not least in your workplace. As organizations around the world face health and social crises, as well as economic uncertainty, acknowledging and improving wellbeing in your workplace is more critical than ever. Increasingly, leaders and managers must support mental health and cultivate resilience in employees - not just increase engagement and performance. Based on more than 100 million Gallup global interviews, Wellbeing at Work shows you how to do just that. Coauthored by Gallup's CEO and its Chief Workplace Scientist, Wellbeing at Work explores the five key elements of wellbeing - career, social, financial, physical and community - and how organizations can help employees and teams thrive in those elements. The book also gives leaders ideas and action items to help employees use their innate talents and strengths to thrive in each of the wellbeing elements. And Wellbeing at Work introduces a metric to report a person's best possible life: Gallup Net Thriving, which will become the "other stock price" for organizations. In a world where work and life are more blended than ever, maximizing employee wellbeing takes on greater urgency. Wellbeing at Work shows leaders how to create a thriving and resilient culture. If you and your leaders don't change the world, who will? Wellbeing at Work includes a unique code to take the CliftonStrengths assessment, which reveals your top five strengths.

Today's organizational environment is characterized by high levels of cross-cultural, cross-national, and cross-religious communication, conflict, collaboration, and commerce. This environment produces myriad encounters between individuals who embrace different ideologies, religions and spiritual practices. As such, unanswered (and even unasked) questions about management, spirituality, and religion abound. This book, seeks to advance our understanding by asking the big questions. Blessed are Those Who Ask the Questions: What Should We be Asking About Management, Spirituality, and Religion in Organizations? is intended to be provocative in nature. Its chapters address novel ways that leadership, organizations, and organizational stakeholders mutually impact each other by their similarities and differences in religious, spiritual, and ideological traditions, cultures, and practices. Interdisciplinary in nature and firmly grounded in scholarly literature, this book identifies and maps out bold new trajectories for advancing the study of management spirituality, and religion (including but going far beyond Western, Christian conceptualizations of religion). Sometimes universal, sometimes quite specific, this volume identifies unexplored, underexplored, or unresolved issues in the field and proposes new streams of research. Diverse conceptual, empirical, theoretical, and critical treatments that honor a variety of inquiry styles and research methods push the boundaries of MSR research.

In this timely book, Dr Jo Cribb and David Glover, former CEOs who have launched successful portfolio careers, share insights from their own experiences plus those of an impressive range of successful business leaders who are all actively thinking about the future of work. Aimed at anyone who needs to change careers or whose job leaves them feeling unchallenged and unfulfilled, as well as those starting work for the first time, this book will provide the inspiration, support and practical tools needed to change your working life.

The literature on gender and professions shows that professional careers continue to be impacted by gender - albeit with important differences among professions and countries. Much less researched is the issue of the significance of gender and age-cohort or generation to professional work. Gender, Age and Inequality in the Professions explores men's and women's experiences of professional work and careers through an intersectional lens by focusing on the intersection of gender and age. The chapters explore different professions - including Medicine, Nursing, Law, Academia, Information Technology and Engineering - in different Western countries, in the present and over time. Through original research, and critical re-analysis of existing research, each of the chapters explores the significance of gender and age-cohort or generation to professional work, with particular attention to professionals just entering professional careers, those building professional careers, and comparisons of men and women in professions across generational cohorts. The book contributes to literature on inequalities in the professions by demonstrating the ways in which gender and age converge to confer privilege and produce disadvantage, and the ways in which gender inequality is reproduced, and disrupted, through the activities of professionals on the job. The book constitutes a departure point for future research in terms of theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on how gendered and age-related processes are produced and reproduced in particular organisational, professional and socio-cultural contexts. To enhance generational understanding, relationships and collaboration in educational institutions, organisations and professions, the book ends with a section on policy recommendations for educators, professionals, professional organisations as well as policy- and decision-makers. This book will also appeal to students and researchers in the fields of Sociology, Gender Studies, Organisational and Management Studies, Law, Medicine, Engineering and Information Technology as well as related disciplines.

In a difficult economic climate it is more important than ever to manage bad behaviour in the workplace and minimize the damage negative and destructive employees can have on an organization. This book looks at the problems companies can face but also shows how to resolve these issues and work towards a positive outcome.

The sales environment has been forever altered by e-commerce and price-centered commodities. Competition has become stiffer, and quotas have become higher. The demand for performance has created brutal pressure in a lonely profession, and increasing the number of cold calls is not enough to survive. Success requires closing a higher percentage of opportunities and growing existing business. But how do you achieve such lofty goals?

"The Trusted Advocate" is a revelation of fundamental principles that empower maximum success through authenticity and integrity. John Mehrmann and Mitchell Simon combine their experience in management and leadership development to provide you with proven, cutting-edge management techniques and leadership skills to unlock individual potential and empower personal success. You'll learn how to: Increase sales and retain loyal customers Train the sales force or train yourself Identify and unleash your talents Turn knowledge into power Build your pipeline Create a revolutionary process Earn a reputation for being trustworthy

Designed to revitalize sales professionals, "The Trusted Advocate" is perfect for managers, coaches, consultants, and trainers to help rapidly accelerate individual or group performance. Use your strengths as your competitive edge, enjoy your profession, and advance your career

Few time periods in the past five decades match the intensity of intergroup conflict that people around the world are currently experiencing. Polarized attitudes around various sociopolitical issues, such as gender equality and immigration, have dominated the media and our lives. Furthermore, these powerful social dynamics have also impacted the places where we work and intensified existing strains on workers and workplaces. To address these issues and improve organizational climates, more theories, research and collaborations to understand these phenomena are needed. The volumes in this series will describe and instigate scholarship that advances our understanding of diversity in organizations. In recognition of the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted American women the right to vote and the subsequent struggle for women of color to exercise it, this volume features the personal narratives of recognized scholars in the field who have advanced understanding of gender at work. In this way, we appreciate, and gain perspective on, the rewards and challenges of this essential scholarship and the lives of those who engage in it. The combination of these narratives is an exciting and meaningful exploration of the study of gender and its intersection with other marginalized social identities at work that authentically captures the experiences of scholars in the field and inventively pushes our understanding of diversity in organizations.

Workplace sexual harassment law can be a tangle for business. This book brings clarity to this confusing area of employment law and blazes a new pathway in the discussions by employing a comprehensive, yet simple and concise approach. The chapters are a self-contained discussion of issues such as retaliation and constructive discharge, merged with substantive topics like "quid pro quo" and hostile environment sexual harassment. Achampong devotes significant attention to landmark developments shaping the law, and provides a holistic approach to managing the risk of liability for sexual harassment. This volume is an ideal reference and text for law and business professors and students, human resource managers, risk management consultants, and attorneys.

Sexual harassment is one of the most problematic issues in the American workplace and one that has captured much media attention following a number of high-profile lawsuits and congressional hearings. This increased awareness, along with several landmark developments such as the availability of damages under the Civil Rights Act of 1991, has led to an astronomical rise in sexual harassment lawsuits. Yet, sexual harassment law is often still misunderstood, to the point that some federal appeals courts have characterized it as chaotic, and have asked for Supreme Court direction. This book fills the need for a comprehensive text that is also concise and simple, in contrast to the voluminous texts that cater primarily to litigating attorneys and tend to be unsuitable for other constituents, such as law and business professors and students, human resource managers, and risk management consultants.

Achampong's is the only work that devotes several chapters to landmark developments such as third-party and same-sex sexual harassment and the only one that goes beyond merely discussing workplace harassment prevention to discussing risk management of liability for sexual harassment. It also discusses esoteric rules that apply to federal sector sexual harassment complainants. The appendices provide guidelines on discrimination; excerpts from the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991; a discussion of landmark Supreme Court cases; excerpts from the EEOC Compliance Manual; and EEOC policy guidelines on current issues of sexual harassment.

Few time periods in the past five decades match the intensity of intergroup conflict that people around the world are currently experiencing. Polarized attitudes around various sociopolitical issues, such as gender equality and immigration, have dominated the media and our lives. Furthermore, these powerful social dynamics have also impacted the places where we work and intensified existing strains on workers and workplaces. To address these issues and improve organizational climates, more theories, research and collaborations to understand these phenomena are needed. The volumes in this series will describe and instigate scholarship that advances our understanding of diversity in organizations. In recognition of the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted American women the right to vote and the subsequent struggle for women of color to exercise it, this volume features the personal narratives of recognized scholars in the field who have advanced understanding of gender at work. In this way, we appreciate, and gain perspective on, the rewards and challenges of this essential scholarship and the lives of those who engage in it. The combination of these narratives is an exciting and meaningful exploration of the study of gender and its intersection with other marginalized social identities at work that authentically captures the experiences of scholars in the field and inventively pushes our understanding of diversity in organizations.

This book provides a systematic and interdisciplinary study of occupational mental health legislation in seven countries. The work presents a study of the laws, policies, and legal interpretations to help prevent mental health problems from occurring in the workplace and appropriately address problems once they do occur. With a view to improving provision in Japan, the author examines the legal issues relating to workplace mental health and stress in the USA, UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Germany. In presenting a comparative discussion of mental health issues in the workplace, this book seeks to establish a minimum for legal rights and duties that contribute to prevention and not just compensation. With its detailed comparative and descriptive coverage of legal and related provisions in a range of countries, the book will be a valuable resource for academics, policy-makers and practitioners working in labour and employment law, social welfare, occupational health and human resource management.

What makes for a flourishing workplace? Many organizations find themselves spinning their wheels in work cultures filled with toxicity, dysfunction, conflict, and fear. Unengaged employees drag down productivity, and ineffective management undermines morale. How can we create workplaces where people don't just struggle to get through the day but instead thrive and love what they do and where they work? Al Lopus, cofounder and CEO of Best Christian Workplaces Institute, has studied hundreds of organizations to discover eight key drivers in companies with healthy culture and engaged employees. He gathers best practices from across a range of companies and ministries to demonstrate how people at all levels can work together to accomplish work that matters. Principles and real-life examples provide concrete ways that organizations can flourish by building fantastic teams, cultivating life-giving work, attracting and retaining outstanding talent, and much more. With compelling case studies, behind-the-curtain revelations, and enlightening personal anecdotes, Road to Flourishing will motivate leaders, managers, and their teams to reimagine, reassess, and renew their commitment to building healthy work cultures where everyone can flourish.

We need a new approach for solving tough problems in a complex world-we need to collaborate smarter. Market volatility. Sustainability demands. Hybrid working. Opportunities and hazards of fast-changing technology and regulations. Companies and nonprofits face more daunting challenges than ever. How can we collaborate in our organizations-and with outside partners-to solve problems, innovate, and succeed? Smarter Collaboration offers groundbreaking solutions. This indispensable new book lays out a pragmatic action plan blending rich stories, new empirical research, and loads of practical advice to help companies thrive by collaborating more effectively. As Harvard professor Heidi K. Gardner and senior executive Ivan A. Matviak show, firms that collaborate smarter consistently generate higher revenues and profits, boost innovation, strengthen client relationships, and attract and retain better talent. In this successor to Gardner's bestselling first book, Smart Collaboration, the authors expand their mandate, illustrating the fundamental dynamics of collaborating well across industries like financial services, health care, biotech/pharma, consumer products, automotive, and technology. Based on their research with thousands of executives from around the world, they share deep insights on how to implement smarter collaboration and avoid the potential pitfalls. They also help leaders troubleshoot thorny challenges like misaligned incentives, collaboration overload, and unintended consequences on diversity and inclusion. Complete with how-tos and cases, the book concludes with inspiring examples of groups harnessing smarter collaboration to tackle society's biggest challenges such as saving the oceans, eradicating diseases, and tackling global warming. Smarter Collaboration is the essential guide for forward-thinking leaders to transform their organizations, reshape the way they work, and increase impact and success.