This book compares the unique features of workplace mediation to other contexts of mediation, as well as the specific competences each situation requires of the mediator. It covers many important issues related to workplace mediation and discusses interventions by managers, such as conflict coaching and informal mediation. It proposes a new model to assess the effectiveness of mediation, and discusses the impact of legal systems, HRM policies, as well as power structures, and cultural differences. The book takes into account perspectives from multiple disciplines, such as management, business, psychology, law and sociology. It also discusses mediation aspects from a variety of cultural and regional contexts. The book advances knowledge about the application, process and effects of workplace mediation and includes practical tips for scholars, practitioners, mediators and managers to enhance their mediation practice or to foster constructive conflict management in organizations.

Technology, people, e-workplaces: these are the elements that fast moving organizations use to meet changing business requirements by using technology to invent new business processes, to re-align organizational structures, and to implement new management practices. Moreover, it has become apparent in today's global information economy, the most critical-indeed the primary-resource that distinguishes market leaders from everyone else is human talent! Countries, communities, and organizations are suddenly very interested in developing the human capacities that will allow them to compete in a networked world. Successful growing organizations have placed the combined development of information technology and human resources as their top priority. With the help of human resource professionals, organizations must grasp the pertinent aspects of both people and technology issues to create an effective e-workplace. These issues occur at the intersection of the disciplines of computer science, operation research, and human resource development. Because these issues are complex, they can best be understood through cross-disciplinary collaboration among experts who approach them from a range of perspectives. Human Resource Development and Information Technology: Making Global Connections presents just such a collaborative effort from leaders in the field. This book describes the changes that are occurring as technology plays a more central role in human resource development. It compares methods and tools that organizations can use to create their own practices for developing their most critical resource-people! In addition, the authors pose a set of interesting research questions that will help us further explore how countries, local communities, and organizations build dynamic systems for developing a sustained competitive advantage with human talent.

This edited volume highlights relevant issues and solutions for diversity groups within the workplace. It explores issues of identity as they relate to attributes of gender, age, migrant labor, disability, and power in social spaces. Identity is rarely well-defined in many social spaces, and understandings that define belonging are often developed through the normative expectations of others. Having an evidence-based approach in addressing these relevant issues, this book will appeal to academics and practitioners alike looking for practical and theoretical solutions to improving the situations of these groups in paid employment.

Based on extensive research and consulting experience, the authors of this book affirm that an organization's managerial performance as well as an individual's own personal effectiveness can be greatly enhanced through the Use of mental imagery or visualization techniques. Mental imagery allows its practitioners to learn about management through mental as well as actual practice. It effectively generates a performance orientation in which the individual is required to rehearse specific behaviors for optimum results. The practice of mental imagery techniques are not altogether new. Their application in the field of management, however, represents a valuable innovation that will be of special interest to a wide variety of managerial professionals and the people who train them.

This book represents both a milestone and a celebration. It brings together in one place all the theories and models that have emerged from the work of David Clutterbuck, one of the last surviving, first pioneers of coaching and mentoring, who has significantly helped to shape the field; and is published as his 75th book at age 75. Many of the models and approaches familiar to coaches and mentors are based in David's prolific research, writing and practice, from Systemic Talent Management, through Team Coaching from a Complex, Adaptive Systems perspective, Personal Reflective Space, to the Diversity Awareness Ladder. In bringing more than 60 of these innovations into one volume, the book provides an invaluable contribution to the practice of coaching, and puts the evolution of coaching theory into context, tracing its development over time. This book is a one-stop-shop for coach practitioners and students to get up to speed and understand these foundational models. This book will appeal to coaches and HR professionals across the world, at all levels.

Often lost in the study of people management is the crucial skill of relationships management. It is not simply the study of how to help people get along, nor is it the same as managing compensation, for example, but it is infinitely more volatile, complex, and difficult to do. Snider sees it as the key to success in new and growing organizations of almost any kind (he refers to these relationships as partnerships) and in his challenging new book proves that in any high-growth company, people really are partners. He explores the dynamics of such groups, their social and psychological aspects, and shows how to use the concepts that emerge from these understandings to manage a real world enterprise. What happens if it fails? Snider, a clinical psychologist with experience in couples therapy, shows that the dissolution of a business can be likened to the breakup of a marriage and managed the same way. This book is engrossing, essential reading for entrepreneur executives in all types of companies--new, growing, even mature ones--but also for venture capitalists and others on the way up, with financial or personal career stakes in them.

Snider defines the types of partnerships found in almost all kinds of businesses, and identifies the variables that are crucial to managing them successfully. He examines concepts familiar to social psychologists, then relates them to the specifics of business culture and probes their influences upon it. He discusses hands-on topics like team management, the use of power, the place of values and beliefs, the very real cost/benefit implications of any human relationship in a work setting, and the critical role played by interpersonal communications. Of special interest to entrepreneur-executives is his discussion of the dynamics of managing transitions, as organizations move from one stage of development to the next, and also the use of delegation. Dr. Snider then tackles the all-important problem of how to keep a business healthy, and how to notice and identify early signs of trouble. But if everything fails and a break-up becomes inevitable, it may actually prove the best thing. Far from being a confidence-shattering crisis, Dr. Snider shows how it can be a learning experience, and how it can benefit everyone the next time around.

This book provides information on the generation and the effects of hazardous substances that are produced during welding and allied processes. These processes are thermal cutting, thermal spraying, soldering and brazing. The book offers guidance on the determination of hazardous substances and it simplifies assessment of the hazard due to hazardous substances. In addition, the book explains tests in order to understand the concentration and intensity of key hazardous substances. Last but not least, the book suggests several possibilities of avoiding the risk to worker's health as a result of exposing them to these substances.

This book focuses on the interface of work and personal life of international professionals. The globalization of business has led to an increasing number of people who work in international roles either through working abroad on different kinds of assignments or through international travelling. This book provides novel knowledge on the topic from different perspectives, highlighting not only the inherent challenges but also the positive side of working in a modern globalized world. Moreover, the book contributes by bringing together international professionals' own experiences, family members' experiences, organizational aspects and new theoretical discussions and models. The book covers several different perspectives on the work and personal life interface offering insights on the areas like adjustment, social support, dual-career issues and organizational practices. The book examines the situations of several different types of international employee such as organizational expatriates, self-initiated expatriates and international business travellers. The new interesting research evidence is provided from various country contexts from North America, Europe and Asia by researchers around the world.

The unconscious dynamics that surface in groups when authority is exercised are of paramount importance in Group Relations Conferences; this volume addresses these considerations through research findings and speculation on the future of Group Relations both within conferences and outside of them. This is the sixth instalment in a series of books based on Tavistock Group Relations Conferences and contains a collection of papers presented at the sixth Belgirate conference. Combining chapters on theory and practice, this volume delivers a meditation on the relationships between the physical spaces we inhabit or co-create, the psychic, inner or spiritual space and the liminal space in-between. Group Relations provides a window of understanding into why inequity and intergroup hostilities pervade the modern world alongside a method that illuminates how people consciously and unconsciously contribute to these tensions, whether personally, in groups or in organisations. This will be an invaluable resource for practitioners, academics, and scholars of Group Relations, as well as managers and organisational members wanting to learn more about how Group Relations methods can contribute to their organisational success.

This work presents an innovative look at research on the intersection of spirituality and business. Part one of the book covers spiritual practice and organizations, part two covers spirituality and leadership, and part three covers critical theory and ethics.

Employee absenteeism is a chronic organizational problem that costs U.S. corporations an estimated $30 billion annually. In this pioneering volume, Colette Frayne reports the results of the first study to examine empirically the use of a simple straightforward self-management training program to increase employee attendance. The author presents a complete description of the self-management training process used in the study, shows how self-management can be of significant value in reducing employee absenteeism, and offers precise information for the human resources professional who wishes to organize and implement self-management training within his or her own organization. Frayne also addresses other applications of self-management in the workplace, demonstrating that the approach works because it accommodates both the employees' needs for freedom and the organization's need for control.

Following an introductory chapter which discusses the research focus for the study, presenting the rationale for examining the topic, and explores the basic principles of social learning theory, Frayne provides a detailed overview of existing theories that were precursors to social learning theory. She then outlines the methodology that was used for sample generation, data collection, and training implementation. Two chapters examine the research results and discuss their implications for reducing employee absenteeism. In the next chapter, Frayne discusses the results and interpretations derived from conducting a follow-up study and replication of the initial research. Training in self-management, she shows, offered many benefits to the individuals involved in the training program and to the organization that supported the program. Specifically, many of the trainees improved their attendance, their relationships with supervisors, their job performance, and their career promotion opportunities--improvements that held up well over time. Care is taken throughout to present both practical guidelines for implementing effective self-management training programs and empirical research to support the various applications of the training. Numerous tables and figures enhance the text.

Although much information is available about the trade provisions of NAFTA, little has been written on its provisions governing the international transfer of labor. For multinationals to remain competitive in the world market, they not only must access international markets for their products, but also the labor force to help them "provide" products. This book is a review of the immigration provisions of NAFTA and a step-by-step guide to help corporate management utilize them in their hiring practices. It also provides a reference source for legal material not easily found elsewhere, a description of the laws and the procedures they govern, a detailed description of how to complete INS forms, and checklists and suggestions to help do so. A unique guide for human resource executives and for their colleagues in the academic community interested in international business practices.

Part I provides a brief overview of the standard immigration provisions that relate to all NAFTA visas. Part II discusses the legal requirements for business persons, treaty traders and investors, and intracompany transferees who enter the United States to conduct business. Part III describes in detail how the United States businesses can hire Canadian and Mexican professionals. Step-by-step descriptions note important differences in the procedures for professionals from Canada and Mexico. The authors describe what professionals qualify, how to complete INS form, obtain TN status for professional employees, apply for extensions, and change or end employment. One chapter is devoted to issues relating to the professional's family. Part IV discusses supplementary issues of the effect of strikes, employer legal obligations, and obtaining permanent residence. The Appendixes include the full text of chapter 16 of NAFTA, relevant laws, INS forms, and checklists and addresses that businesses will find useful for preparing and filing INS petitions.

This book describes and analyses the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis upon the working conditions of employees in the financial services sector in Britain. It tells the story of workers being made to pay the price for a crisis that was not of their own making, but nevertheless caused a deleterious impact on their employment security, remuneration and working conditions. Evidence of fighting back against this has been sparse so that the response of employees is best characterised as 'fright' (grudgingly working harder and longer), 'flight' (leaving the sector through redundancy), and 'falling in line' (accepting the diktat of performance managements systems). Through this book we learn the reasons behind this acquiescence, with its detailed attention to topics such as the stunted development of labour unionism, the prevalence of union-management partnerships, and the occurrence of employment insecurity and labour shedding. Providing a valuable insight into the effects of the financial crash, Employment Relations in Financial Services will be useful to academics, students and also trade unionists.

This book explores the concept of citizenship, and the role that organizations can or do play in its creation, stimulation and control. Offering multiple organizational perspectives (private and public organisations) and their relation to several types of output (citizenship, poverty, profit, employability), this work presents a rich collection of philosophical thoughts and practices on the subject of citizenship within and without the organizational context. Particular attention is given to this human aspect, an element of unpredictability, a gut feeling, the unknown... something immeasurable that plays a part in human relations and how they organize themselves. Citizenship in Organizations casts new light on the impact of organizations to the notion of citizenship.

One of the most important skills of successful managers is dealing with change. 'Managing Change Effectively' combines philosophical insights with practical applications to help managers effectively incorporate change with the least disruption. 'Managing Change Effectively' details specific approaches and methods for making change decisions and getting changes accepted. From communication to participation, Kirkpatrick shows managers and executives how to make change their ally. Packed with examples that illustrate the principles and procedures for implementing new ideas, policies and strategies for almost any type of organization, this text is a valuable resource for managers at all levels, especially those in training and human resources.

What drives workers to periodically contest their surrounding reality and how do they structure their protests? Maurizio Atzeni provides an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of workers' collective action using the cases of two car manufacturing plants located in Argentina. Criticizing the use of injustice as the basis of mobilization, it argues that workers' collective resistance should be seen as a function of the development of solidarity, which is alternatively created and destroyed by the contradictions between exploitation and cooperation continuously reproduced by the capitalist labor process.

This book explores the differences between Western and non-Western cultures to provide a more comprehensive understanding of psychological contract and its consequences on employees' behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive outcomes. Further, it discusses the culturally-relevant elements of HR practices that affect employee expectations, job satisfaction, commitment, and motivation based on their perceptions of the level of fulfilment of their psychological contract. Integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods, it is the first book to examine the current state of the South Asian workforce and will advance research on industrial relations, employee relationship management, and corporate management of South Asian employees around the world.

Collaborating in virtual teams is a new reality in modern project management and work environments. Its emergence calls for an extensive analysis and re-alignment on the part of organizations, so as to help virtual teams maintain 'strategic momentum' - a concept that this book introduces. Strategic momentum represents perseverance with regard to pursuing a virtual team's strategy; a 'flywheel' concept that drives the team members to concentrate on the project tasks until they have reached their shared goal. The authors present a design science based model, together with an in-depth qualitative study involving eight virtual R&D project teams. In this model, strategic momentum is assessed in terms of empowerment, team task insight, and collective commitment. These three determinants can be promoted and sustained by various contextual factors and interventions on the part of the management. The authors also provide a wealth of practical tips to help practitioners and consultants generate and sustain strategic momentum in their own contexts when working with virtual teams.

CONTENTS: Preface. Kees van den Bos, Stephen W. Gilliland, Dirk D. Steiner, and Daniel P. Skarlicki. Part I: Developing Theories of Fairness Motivation. Wanting is Believing: Understanding Psychological Processes in Organizational Justice by Examining Perceptions of Fairness. Steven L. Blader and D. Ramona Bobocel. The Battle Between Self-Interest and Fairness: Evidence from Ultimatum, Dictator, and Delta Games. Eric van Dijk and Ann Tenbrunsel. Images of Justice: Development of Justice Integration Theory. Stephen W. Gilliland and Layne Paddock. Interpersonal and Informational Justice: Identifying the Differential Antecedents of Interactional Justice Behaviors. Suzanne S. Masterson, Zinta S. Byrne, and Hua Mao. Part II: Applying Theories to Managerial Decisions. An Accessible Identity Approach to Understanding Fairness in Organizational Settings. Linda J. Skitka and Jesus Bravo. Self-Regulatory Identity Theory and Reactions Toward Fairness Enhancing Organizational Policies. Karl Aquino, Americus Reed II, Marcus M. Stewart, and Debra L. Shapiro. Why Managers Don't Always do the Right Thing When Delivering Bad News: The Roles of Empathy, Self-esteem, and Moral Development in Interactional Fairness. David L. Patient and Daniel P. Skarlicki. Corporate Champions: Coming to the Defense of Organizations. Carol T. Kulik. Part III: Commentary. Some Observations and Critical Thoughts About the Present State of Justice Theory and Research. Gerold Mikula. Information on Contributing Authors.

Managing strategies for professional service firms is an important and complex activity. The main issues in this book cover the core management principles for service firms in a comprehensive way. Based on current research findings it includes the management of service quality, knowledge and marketing as well as people, organizational and strategic issues. In understanding critical resources managers and partners will be able to effectively develop and exploit them. The book contains practical advice and offers a profound insight into the managerial excellence of service companies. "

This highly readable career development book reveals dynamic aspects of the workplace that are hidden to many, ignored by others-factors that can make or break careers. There are many key questions about work that most individuals never consider. How can workplace norms affect our careers in powerful ways? How do sex-role stereotypes impact our behaviors? When are "teams" not teams? How does organizational culture profoundly affect your workplace? What questions should you ask yourself about your boss? What factors most affect job satisfaction and success? Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations is a must-read for anyone wanting to better understand the workplace and become more effective and successful. Written by a former management consultant to the U.S. Air Force and a professor and organizational behavior scholar, this definitive work explains many of the dynamics at play in our organizations. Beyond being informative, insightful, and beneficial to any employee, regardless of job status or experience, it is highly readable, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Provides easy-to-read information that allows readers to better understand the workplace around them, the behavior of others, and even themselves Discusses 50 keys for unlocking the workplace and illustrates key concepts through dozens of stories and practical examples Presents insights grounded in what management scholars know about human behavior, management, and the workplace Offers proven advice that can help readers be more effective, regardless of what stage they are in their careers

A volume in Research in Management ConsultingSeries Editor Anthony F. Buono, Bentley UniversityThe reprint of Henri Savall's classic Work and People, originally published in French in 1974, ispart of the Research in Management Consulting series effort to look backward as well as forward inexamining trends, perspectives, and insights - especially from different countries and cultures - into theworld of management consulting. Savall's insights into the complexity of organizational life weregroundbreaking, articulating the need to examine both economic and social factors as part of the sameanalysis, assessing technical and behavioral patterns through the lens of an integrated framework. As he hasargued, there is a double-loop interaction between "the quality of functioning and economic performance," andunderestimating this socio-economic "tension" leads inevitably to reduced performance and losses, which herefers to as "hidden costs."This approach, referred to as the socio-economic approach to management (SEAM), has significant potential for our thinking aboutorganizational diagnosis and intervention. As Savall emphasizes, the North American tendency to cast people as human "resources" misses theessential point that human beings cannot be considered as simply another resource at the organization's disposal. People are free to give or withholdtheir energy as they desire, depending on the quality of formal and informal contracts and interactions they have with their organizations. As such, theSEAM approach focuses on human "potential," underscoring the need for managers and their organizations to create the conditions under whichpeople will want to maximize their talents on behalf of the organization.Work and People focuses on the ramifications of this reality, as dysfunctions - the difference between planned and emergent activities andfunctions - can quickly lead to a series of costs that are "hidden" from an organization's formalinformation systems (e.g., income statements, balance sheets, budgets). As his insightful workunderscores, as organizations begin to accumulate dysfunction upon dysfunction, they inadvertentlyundermine their performance and create excessive operating costs, with lower productivity and lessefficiency than they could achieve. As readers will discover, the frameworks, tools and ways ofthinking about organizations, people and management in this volume - in essence the background to thesocio-economic approach to organizational diagnosis and intervention - continue to hold great promisefor our attempts to create truly integrative approaches to management and organizational improvementefforts.

This book, written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, explores the transformation of organizations in today's volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. It demonstrates the need to manage organizations in a dynamic way, and to revisit and in some cases reinvent working and leadership styles that seemed appropriate during past decades and centuries. In turn, the book puts forward a model based on three distinct pillars of organization and leadership to suit disruptive times: the concepts of 'Sustainable Purpose', 'Travelling Organization', and 'Connecting Resources'. These pillars challenge many of our traditional organizational patterns and meet the need for effective transformative approaches.