Top Five: Advances in Developing Human Resources

This week, we present the top five most-read articles currently available from Advances in Developing Human Resources. Covering a range of topics, from leadership development to the multigenerational workforce, they offer findings including:

• How managers can increase levels of employee engagement as a strategic leverage point within organizations
• Suggestions for individual leaders to navigate their personal leadership development journey
• Ways that HRD professionals can increase retention of valued workers across generations

These articles—some new, some classic—are freely available to access using the links below through April 6. Please share and enjoy!

Jerry W. Gilley, M. Lane Morris, Alina M. Waite, Tabitha Coates, and Abigail Veliquette
Integrated Theoretical Model for Building Effective Teams
February 2010

Sehoon Kim and Gary N. McLean
Global Talent Management: Necessity, Challenges, and the Roles of HRD
November 2012

Barbara A. W. Eversole, Donald L. Venneberg, and Cindy L. Crowder
Creating a Flexible Organizational Culture to Attract and Retain Talented Workers Across Generations
November 2012

Byron Hanson
The Leadership Development Interface: Aligning Leaders and Organizations Toward More Effective Leadership Learning
February 2013

Paul Fairlie
Meaningful Work, Employee Engagement, and Other Key Employee Outcomes: Implications for Human Resource Development
November 2011

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The Role of the Arts in Organizational Settings

OC Always (cc)

What if an artist ran your company?

In an effort to determine what benefit organizations and practitioners can gain from the arts, this article examines song lyrics, drama scripts, and poems in the context of organizational development, with some useful implications for those seeking innovative approaches to business strategy. Oranuch Pruetipibultham of the University of Minnesota and Gary N. Mclean of Texas A&M University published “The Role of the Arts in Organizational Settings” in Volume 9, Issue 1 (March 2010) of Human Resource Development Review. An excerpt:

Nissley (2007) held that successful organizations have effective leaders who focus on the process of generating possibilities—thinking of new things and seeing existing
things in different ways. Therefore, we believe that it is worthwhile to explore the dynamics of narrative or storytelling (these two words are used interchangeably in
this article) and investigate how music, drama, and poetry, as forms of storytelling, can help scholars and practitioners develop a better understanding of organizational culture, effective intervention methods, and ways to develop human resources in organizations.

Read “The Role of the Arts in Organizational Settings” in Human Resource Development Review. Would you like to receive customized alerts from the journal that provides new theoretical insights to advance our understanding of HRD? Then click here!

What Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers Want

Victor1558 (CC BY 2.0)

What do Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers have in common? The desire for a more flexible workplace, according to a study recently published in Advances in Developing Human Resources. As organizations compete for talented employees from today’s increasingly multigenerational workforce, managers need to understand these workers’ need for flexibility in terms of where, when, and how work gets done:

The Problem.
One of the most important emerging issues in the field of human resource development is how to effectively help organizations deal with the shifting demographics in the workforce. The largest generational cohort is nearing retirement, which will result in a loss of talent, experience, and expertise. The newest generation entering the workforce is substantively different. The next 20 years will likely see a shift to new ways of working, reflecting the values of the younger generation.

The Solution.
Organizational cultures that will be able to retain employees across generations need to be developed. Each generation seems to be alike in one crucial area: their desire for workplace flexibility. Middle managers need to be incented and trained to accept a culture where they maintain accountability without power and control.

The Stakeholders.
Human resource development practitioners and researchers have a role in developing interventions to change organizational culture to be more flexible, thereby potentially increasing retention of valued workers across the generations.

Read “Creating a Flexible Organizational Culture to Attract and Retain Talented Workers Across Generations,” published by Barbara A.W. Eversole of Indiana State University, Donald L. Venneberg of Colorado State University, and Cindy L. Crowder of Indiana State University on August 10, 2012 in Advances in Developing Human Resources–and stay tuned to the latest research on these and other human resource development topics by clicking here.

Learning to Lead, Unscripted

Jeffrey Beall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

If leadership itself is a social, collaborative, and creative process, why shouldn’t leadership development take root through creative and collaborative experience? A new study in the September 2012 issue of Human Resource Development Review sets the stage for a new model of leadership training through improvisational theatre. Suzanne Gagnon and Heather C. Vough, both of McGill University, and Robert Nickerson of Rob Nickerson Improv in Toronto published “Learning to Lead, Unscripted: Developing Affiliative Leadership Through Improvisational Theatre,” explaining:

We argue that improvisational theatre training creates a compelling experience of co-creation through interaction and, as such, can be used to build a distinctive kind of leadership skills. Theories of leadership as relational, collaborative or shared are in pointed contrast to traditional notions of an individual “hero leader” who possesses the required answers, and whom others follow. Corresponding thinking on how to develop these newer forms has, to date, been relatively rare. In this article, we draw on recent research to identify three core principles for learning affiliative leadership. We then apply literature on improvisational theatre and its main skill areas to build a model of developing affiliative leadership, and illustrate the model through an improvisation workshop in which participants learn the skills and principles that it sets out. The model and workshop may serve as useful tools for those searching for methods to develop leadership in contemporary organizations.

Click here to read the article in Human Resource Development Review and here to learn more about the journal.

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What Are the Predictors of Recruitment Effectiveness?

Darren C. Treadway of the State University of New York at Buffalo, Garry Adams of Auburn University, T. Johnston Hanes of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Marshall J. Magnusen of Baylor University, and Pamela L. Perrewé and Gerald R. Ferris, both of Florida State University, published “The Roles of Recruiter Political Skill and Performance Resource Leveraging in NCAA Football Recruitment Effectiveness” on April 11, 2012 in the Journal of Management. To view other OnlineFirst articles, please click here.

The abstract:

The recruitment and selection of human resources represent the most important activities in which organizations of all types engage. However, there is much scholars still need to know about the predictors of recruitment effectiveness. Using a sample of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) university football coaches (N = 175) and their recruiting outcomes, the authors hypothesized that recruiting effectiveness is specifically affected by the individual qualities of the recruiters, in addition to the past performance of the team under the current head coach. The results supported the hypothesis, demonstrating that the interaction of recruiter political skill and head coach performance explained significant variance in recruitment effectiveness. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

To learn more about the Journal of Management, please follow this link.

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After the Tsunami Scare: Crisis and Disaster Management Perspectives

Although it stirred panic, this week’s 8.6-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian coast did not cause a tsunami. It did serve as a successful test of the warning systems put in place after 2004’s devastating tsunami in South Asia–underscoring the importance of disaster preparedness at all levels.

In today’s post, we highlight three articles that explore crisis and disaster management, including a study on perceived organizational preparedness for coping with a major crisis or disaster; a look at how organizational leaders can better understand their environments so as to avoid such events, and develop plans to cope with them if they do occur; and an exploration of crisis preparedness focused on the U.S. tourism industry.

We hope you find this selection insightful and thought-provoking.

Karen L. Fowler, Nathan D. Kling, and Milan D. Larson, all of the Monfort College of Business

“Organizational Preparedness for Coping With a Major Crisis or Disaster“

Business & Society (March 2007)

      
 

Jason B. Moats of Texas Engineering Extension Service, Thomas J. Chermack of Colorado State University, and Larry M. Dooley of Texas A&M University

“Using Scenarios to Develop Crisis Managers: Applications of Scenario Planning and Scenario-Based Training“

Advances in Developing Human Resources (June 2008)

    

Lori Pennington-Gray, Brijesh Thapa, Kyriaki Kaplanidou, Ignatius Cahyanto, and Elaine McLaughlin, all of the University of Florida, Gainesville

“Crisis Planning and Preparedness in the United States Tourism Industry“

Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (August 2011)

    

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Who Are the Leaders We Need?

Brad Shuck and Ann Mogan Herd, both of the University of Louisville, published “Employee Engagement and Leadership: Exploring the Convergence of Two Frameworks and Implications for Leadership Development in HRD” on March 16, 2012 in Human Resource Development Review. To view other OnlineFirst articles, please click here.

The abstract:

As the use of workplace knowledge economies increases and emerging motivational-state variables such as employee engagement become more widely used, current frameworks of leadership are undergoing changes in perspective and practice. Moreover, while shifts in workplace dynamics have occurred in practice for some time, scholars are now calling for a new perspective of leadership. This article explores the connection between traditional and emerging leadership theories and the motivational-state variable of employee engagement, building toward a conceptual framework proposed for further refinement, discussion, and ultimately testing. A conceptual link between meeting and understanding employee needs, the use of emotional intelligence as a leadership competency, and transformational leadership is examined. Implications for leadership development in research and practice in an HRD context bring this article to a close.

To learn more about Human Resource Development Review, please follow this link.

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Workplace Violence

Martin B. Kormanik, O.D. Systems, published “Workplace Violence: Assessing Organizational Awareness and Planning Interventions” in the February 2011 issue of Advances in Developing Human Resources.

This article was announced in a SAGE press release on October 13th, 2011: “Taking Steps to Prevent ‘Going Postal’: Study helps guide companies HR practices to prevent workplace violence.“

The Abstract:

The problem and the solution. Workplace violence is an extreme manifestation of escalated workplace incivility. Strategies for addressing workplace violence are generally proactive, focused on prevention and preparation, or reactive, focused on response to an incident. Before strategies are put in place, however, the complexity of the issue demands an organizational assessment so that chosen strategies have maximum benefit. Awareness development is a construct for analyzing cognitive and psychosocial growth in relation to a transitional issue, such as workplace violence, then planning interventions that support growth in relation to the transitional issue. This study shows that the use of the awareness development construct to examine individual employees’ perceptions regarding the transitional issue of workplace violence may serve as a practical measure for human resource development (HRD) practitioners to assess the organization and plan intervention strategies. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

For more information about Advances in Developing Human Resources, please click here.

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Data for Decision Making: Three Instances of Inquiry for Improved Action

The May 2011 issue of Advances in Developing Human Resources is available online and can be found here. This special issue concerns the theme of  “Data for Decision Making: Three Instances of Inquiry for Improved Action.”

The lead article, “Conflicts Over the Utilities of Teaching Using Educational Technologies: An Interpretive Critical Inquiry” was published by Elaine L. Demps, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Yvonna S. Lincoln, Texas A&M University, College Station, and Lauren Cifuentes, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.

The Abstract:

Public research universities are experiencing a major transformation today as they become more entrepreneurial and engage in academic capitalism (Bok, 2003; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004). At the same time, faculty members in higher educational institutions are pushed to integrate educational technology into their teaching (Bennett & Bennett, 2003). These two requirements appear to be conflicting demands and affect, among others, faculty performance and job motivation. An interpretive critical inquiry was conducted to understand the faculty experience of attending to the two apparently conflicting demands. Based on the findings, offered are suggestions and recommendations for organizational change that will serve to alleviate the conflicts faculty may experience as well as implications for HRD in public research universities in terms of addressing academic capitalism and teaching using educational technology. The stakeholders at whom this inquiry is aimed include faculty, administrators, students, HRD scholars and practitioners, as well as the system of the public research university.

For more information about Advances in Developing Human Resources, please follow this link. If you would like to receive an email alert whenever a new article or issue becomes available, please click here.

New Human Resource Development Review OnlineFirst Articles

Human Resource Development Review has four new articles available on OnlineFirst! They can be viewed here.

The most recent article, “Reverse Mentoring: A Social Exchange Tool for Keeping the Boomers Engaged and Millennials Committed” was published by Sanghamitra Chaudhuri, University of Minnesota, and Rajashi Ghosh, Drexel University Philadelphia, on August 23rd, 2011.

The abstract:

The aging of the workforce and the concurrent advent of the Millennials represent a major demographic and sociological phenomenon that can have dominant implications for organizations, as a whole. This presents a situation, where the Boomers and Millennials will be working together for the next decade or so. In the wake of mass scale retrenchments and economic upheaval, this is creating a greater urgency for HRD professionals to focus more attention on not only retaining this amalgamated workforce but also on keeping them actively engaged. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to propose reverse mentoring as a social exchange tool, which will leverage the expertise of both generations, that is, Boomers and Millennials, respectively, by being perceptive of their different needs, value systems, and work demands. We conclude by emphasizing different outcomes of reverse mentoring program for Boomers and Millennials and identify areas for future research.

To view this article, and others in OnlineFirst, please follow this link. The most recent issue, September 2011, of Human Resource Development Review can be seen here.