Showing papers by "Paul Jackson published in 2003"

The effect of empowerment on job knowledge: An empirical test involving operators of complex technology

Abstract: Two studies were conducted to investigate the predicted effect of empowerment on employees' job knowledge. Study 1 developed a measure of job knowledge, based on knowledge elicitation techniques, for use in work settings. Study 2 used that measure to examine change in employee knowledge following an empowerment initiative. Findings showed a substantial increase in job knowledge, particularly among less experienced employees. Improvements were also recorded for employee self-confidence and strain, but not for motivation or job satisfaction. The wider theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Warlords as alternative forms of Governance

Abstract: Warlord is a label that currently besets us on all fronts. The 2001–2002 military action in Afghanistan is illustrative of the West's ambivalent view of armed factions in the developing world in general. The demonisation of the Taliban and the elevation of the former ‘warlords’ of the opposition to the rather more grandiose sounding ‘Northern Alliance’, at once formalising the hitherto informal nature of the warlord system, implies that the term ‘warlord’ is synonymous with anarchy, violence and a breakdown in civilised values. ‘Warlord’ has become an ugly, detrimental expression, evoking brutality, racketeering and terrorism. Analysts referring to violence across developing countries routinely refer to ‘new wars’ and ‘post-modern’ conflict, and yet the language used to describe these phenomena is usually pre-modern (medievalism, baronial rule, new feudalism). This article outlines some examples of historical warlords and draws out the common issues. In particular it emphasises the fact that warlords have...

Eliciting and Analysing Employees' Expectations of a Merger

Abstract: The merger of the head offices of two public service organizations in Sweden was used to examine differences in the meanings that employees attach to the organizations involved and their expectations of the new merged organization, nine months prior to the merger. A two-stage methodology was used, combining the repertory grid method with a survey questionnaire based on the elicited constructs. Predictions from a social constructivist perspective on culture and social identity theory were largely confirmed. The results showed that both groups expected one of them to be dominant after the merger. Members of this organization expected to change very little, while employees in the non-dominant group felt themselves to be threatened by the prospect of merger and this led them to emphasize their own distinctiveness. The findings suggest that the success of the integration process after a merger is critically dependent on how employees of merger partners perceive the culture of the organizations involved and the...

Ten Challenges for Introducing Web-Supported Learning to Overseas Students in the Social sciences:

Abstract: This article documents the experiences of a group of MBA students undertaking one module within the School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham. At a university level, teachers are being asked to adopt one particular piece of commercially available educational software; WebCT. As a result, the learning experience was equally important for the university, the lecturer and the students themselves. The class itself consisted of a group of around 35 overseas post-experience students with a wide variety of insight and experience. The article uses a literature set that is different from ‘normal’ evaluation approaches, instead drawing on the experience of computer-supported cooperative work analysts to provide a different insight into the use of the Internet in educational support.