Search

The study contributes to the work values literature as well as to the knowledge base of meaning of working in Asian economies. It represents the results of an empirical study of Korean mid-level employees in diverse industries, investigating the effects of different understandings of work and non-work dimensions on job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment. With a sample size of some 420 responses from 16 different companies, age differences were found for overall meaning of work and also for the effects of importance of working for global organizational commitment. Non-work related dimensions appeared unrelated to work-related outcome variables. We conclude that to a limited degree, age related differentiation exist in relation to work meanings and separation of work and non-work domains for work-related effects. The implications for theory and practice of this research are also discussed. (Contains 7 tables.)

The changing meaning of work calls for care and concern for the spiritual dimension of the workplace. Toward this end, a more liberal form of workforce education and human resource development in response to workplace preparation for managers is needed.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficacy of foreign immersion programs in terms of increasing cross-cultural awareness among university students in business, accounting, human resources and agriculture. The authors extrapolate from their population to the practice of developing business professionals on international assignments. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper presents findings of a four-year, government-sponsored university exchange program involving 40 professional management and agriculture science students from four US and Brazilian top research universities who participated in a semester-long study abroad experience. Pre-departure and post-exchange data were collected using the well-established Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). In addition, the authors collected academic performance data and verbal mid- and end-project personal assessments. Two of the authors of this paper served as project directors, the third as evaluation specialist. Findings: Despite intensive pre-departure preparation, in-country support and cultural immersion, the research subjects failed to attain significant and consistently higher levels of intercultural awareness. Students tended to overestimate their own level of cross-cultural competence both before and after the program. While students tended to perform well academically and voiced high levels of satisfaction with their own overseas stay, objective measures of cross-cultural awareness did not mirror these outcomes. Research Limitations/Implications: Multiple measures of cross-cultural competence exist, and it is possible that the development in areas other than those measured by the IDI did take place. It is also sensible to assume that cognitive development might take longer and was not captured by the post-test right after return. Practical Implications: The paper suggests that cross-cultural development requires carefully designed interventions, feedback and mentoring/coaching. Simply sending individuals on overseas assignments, no matter how well prepared and supported by the institution, does not guarantee the development of multi-cultural attitudes and cognitive frames of mind. Social Implications: The development of cross-cultural competence has been described as a central concern for universities and workplaces alike. The burgeoning research literature on cross-cultural development reflects not only the importance of the topic but also the struggle to find effective pedagogical and andragogical approaches to fostering such development in university students, expatriate managers, working professionals and members of the workforce in general. Originality/Value: The paper presents evaluation findings of a carefully designed and well-supported exchange program over a period of four years and involving three cohorts of students. These students are at the cusp of moving into the workplace, where many will assume professional and leadership positions in international settings. Given the high failure rate of international development and placement and the increasing global interconnectedness of academic and business organizations, the paper suggests the need for carefully designed and well-supported overseas programs to maximize cross-cultural development.

In this review essay, K. Peter Kuchinke uses three recent publications to consider the question of how to educate young people for work and career. Historically, this question has been central to vocational education, and it is receiving renewed attention in the context of concerns over the ability of schools to provide adequate preparation for occupational roles and career success in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Philip Gonon's "Quest for Modern Vocational Education" provides a historical account of Georg Kerschensteiner's vision of the role of work as a central subject matter for all students. His approach served as the foundation for the dual system in present-day Germany. Nancy Hoffman's "Schooling in the Workplace" contrasts the U.S. system of career preparation for non-college-bound students with that of five other OECD nations where workforce and academic preparation are more strongly connected to learning in the workplace. Christopher Winch's "Dimensions of Expertise", finally, offers a conceptual analysis of central ideas of vocational knowledge and underscores the important role of learning in the context of practice. The three texts offer historical, comparative, and philosophical analyses of the complex task of preparation for work and challenge education scholars to move the subject matter into the center of contemporary educational theory. (Contains 43 footnotes.)

This survey-based study investigated work meaning and performance-focused work attitudes of some 315 midlevel managers in diverse industries in the United States and Brazil to determine similarities, differences, and relationships among absolute and relative meaning of work, work role identification, desired work outcomes, and job satisfaction, career fulfillment, and organizational commitment. The study found strong levels of absolute work centrality in both countries and similar rank orderings for nonwork-related domains of life. Work role identification patterns differed, and so did the levels of intrinsic and extrinsic work values. A small number of demographic and work meaning dimensions predicted job satisfaction, career fulfillment, and organizational commitment, but this pattern was different for the samples from each country. The article concludes with a discussion of these patterns of similarities and differences for the research and application of performance theory and improvement in cross-cultural settings. (Contains 6 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an empirical study of the meaning of working, individual level work outcomes, and job and career satisfaction, among professional level employees in business organizations in Russia, Poland, and Germany. Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical framework for the study was based on the work by England and colleagues. The sample (n=638) included professional level employees in the medium and large manufacturing and service organizations in the three countries. Correlations, discriminant function analysis, and multiple regressions were used to answer research questions regarding the relationship between the study variables and to determine country differences. Findings: Results indicate different patterns and levels of work centrality, desired work outcomes, work role identification, and job and career satisfaction among the three countries. A significant difference was found between work values in Russia, on the one hand, and Germany and Poland, on the other. Gender differences in meaning of work patterns were found among Russian respondents. Job and career satisfaction was related to different combinations of demographic and work meaning variables. Practical implications: For human resource development (HRD) and training and development (T&D) professionals working in multinational companies and/or with customers/suppliers in these three countries, the findings imply the need to take into account the similarities and differences in individual meaning of working variables when designing and implementing organization development and training interventions. Originality/value: Despite the central role of working for individuals and the central role of the work values construct for the professional fields of training and HRD, research on meaning of working has been sparse in the academic literature. Thus, the study can contribute to a fuller understanding of experience of work and its implications for the theory and practice of training and human resource development. (Contains 9 tables and 1 figure.)

The recent vehement and highly visible critique of the North American business school curriculum illuminates core tensions in the field of human resource development (HRD) related to the role and responsibility of the profession in for-profit organizations and the educative process by which future practitioners are prepared. If the business school critique, raised by eminent management scholars in the academy, has validity, then an instrumental and functionalist orientation to HRD is not adaptive but, in fact, is counterproductive and shortchanges the needs of business organizations for transformational change and development. Based on a review of the business school critique and research on HRD academic programs in the United States, the author argues for a broader emphasis on systemic change and the transformative potential of the profession based on critical human resource development and positive organizational scholarship.

Building on Gray's (1997) observation of a common ground between vocational education and human resource development, the present paper seeks to extend the comparative analysis by contrasting each field in terms of its history and definition, professional standards, scope of interventions, and core bodies of knowledge. The analysis suggests that despite a shared historical, intellectual, and institutional space, vocational education and human resource development can be understood as related yet distinct communities of practice. In light of the changing nature of work and evolving career patterns of individuals, however, a further segregation of the two fields appears unwise. Instead, conceptual, theoretical, and empirical work is required to integrate vocational education and human resource development. This is required to better understand and improve the research and practice of what Copa (1996) termed education for, at, through, and about work throughout the life span with the aim of developing a comprehensive system of workforce education and workplace learning in the U.S.

A survey of 55 human resource development graduate programs uncovered great heterogeneity of program names, departmental affiliations, and specializations. Compared with a 1991 survey, master's enrollment declined, part-time study increased. Core curricula do not reflect current literature. (Contains 31 references. Includes "Invited Reaction" by Nancie Fimbel on pages 145-150.) (SK)

A survey of 98 participants and 9 instructors in management training in a British government agency showed that trainees frequently sought information about their performance. Although feedback seeking was an important part of training, instructors tended to overestimate the frequency with which they provided feedback. (Contains 42 references.) (SK)

Factor analysis was conducted of responses to a transformational leadership questionnaire from 326 work force education graduate students in the United States (exploratory analysis) and United Kingdom (cross-validation). Leadership behaviors were associated with positive learner outcomes. The number of factors was confirmed in replication but the factor structure was not cross-validated. (SK)

Responses from 47% of 3,540 U.S. and German employees of a multinational company revealed lower levels of transformational leadership among Germans and other cultural differences in work values. Cultural values predicted leadership style. Job category had a main effect on cultural values. (SK)

Presents three views of adult development: (1) person-centered, focused on self-realization and based on humanistic psychology and liberalism; (2) production-centered, focused on organizational goals and based on behaviorism and libertarianism; and (3) principled problem solving, based on cognitive psychology, progressivism, and pragmatism. Discusses their applicability for the human-resource-development profession. (SK)

Basic skill assessments of 109 employees in five small manufacturing businesses revealed that 84% needed additional training in one or more areas. Applied skills needed more remediation than academic skills. Employers expected return on investment in terms of profitability, productivity, and flexibility. Some workers were affected by negative past schooling experiences. (SK)

Describes the Minnesota Tech Prep Consortia Evaluation System, which collects outcomes data on enrollment, retention, related job placement, higher education, dropouts, and diplomas/degrees awarded. Explains outcome measures, database development, data collection and analysis methods, and remaining challenges. (SK)