Digital Commons Network^™

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members' Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti Sharma, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

Donald W. Good

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

The results of the study indicated that gender differences and the number of years in service do not seem to make a significant difference in the level of satisfaction among staff members, but the level …

Improving Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practice In Mental Health Service Delivery: Protocol For A Cluster Randomised Quasi-Experimental Investigation Of Staff-Focused Values Interventions, Virginia Williams, Lindsay G. Oades, Frank P. Deane, Trevor P. Crowe, Joseph Ciarrochi, Retta Andresen

joseph Ciarrochi

Background There is growing acceptance that optimal service provision for individuals with severe and recurrent mental illness requires a complementary focus on medical recovery (i.e., symptom management and general functioning) and personal recovery (i.e., having a 'life worth living'). Despite significant research attention and policy-level support, the translation of this vision of healthcare into changed workplace practice continues to elude. Over the past decade, evidence-based training interventions that seek to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of staff working in the mental health field have been implemented as a primary redress strategy. However, a large body of multi-disciplinary research indicates …

Are Your Ducks In A Row? External And Internal Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Benefits Of Parks In New South Wales, Australia, Monica Torland, Betty Weiler, Brent D. Moyle, Isabelle D. Wolf

Betty Weiler

This research examines the strategic alignment between external and internal stakeholders’ perceptions of the benefits of parks. To achieve this objective, surveys were distributed to park agency staff, as well as a sample of residents in New South Wales, Australia. Findings revealed alignment between external and internal stakeholders, with executive managers’ perceptions being generally more favourable than staff and community. The paper pays particular attention to the alignment of internal stakeholders’ (staff) perceptions, which is important for establishing and defending the market position of parks. A high degree of strategic alignment was found between executive and staff for personal benefits. …

The Role Of Spiritual Intelligence On Organizational Commitment In Employees Of Universities In Tehran Province, Iran, Seyed Mohammad, Kalantarkousheh, دکتر سید محمد کلانتر کوشه

Seyed Mohammad Kalantarkousheh

Introduction: Spiritual intelligence is the mind’s capacity to handle substantial and spiritual aspects of life. According to previous studies, spiritual intelligence can be effective in the promotion of different variables. One such variable is organizational commitment. Organizational commitment may have potentially serious effects on an organization’s function and can be a major influence on its effectiveness. This study explores the relationship between spiritual intelligence and organizational commitment in staff of universities from Tehran Province, Iran. Methods: The study population included all staff of universities in Tehran Province during 2012-13. From this population we chose a random sample of 200 staff(111males …

Collective Bargaining In American Higher Education, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Daniel B. Klaff, Adam T. Kezbom, Matthew P. Nagowski

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] No discussion of governance in higher education would be complete without a consideration of the role of collective bargaining. Historically, most researchers interested in the subject have directed their attention to the unionization of faculty members. Given several recent decisions by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that leave open the possibility that unionization of faculty in private colleges and universities may increase in the future, we discuss collective bargaining for faculty in the first section (Leatherman 2000, A16). Recently, however, attention has been also directed at the unionization of two other groups in the higher education workforce. Activists …

Subject Coordinators: Leading Professional Development For Sessional Staff, Geraldine Lefoe, Dominique Parrish, Janne Malfroy, Jo Mckenzie

Geraldine Lefoe

The Coordinators Leading and Advancing Sessional Staff (CLASS) project, as it became known, explored a leadership capacity development framework that included targeted professional development as a means of improving academic leadership and management of sessional teaching teams. There were four partner universities: the University of Wollongong (lead), the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. This report presents the details and findings from a two-year ALTC leadership project to enhance the quality of teaching through the development of subject coordinators' leadership capacity in four institutions. It also demonstrates a strategy for embedded dissemination …

The Cornell Staff Retirement Incentive Program, Kenneth T. Whelan, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Kevin Hallock, Ronald L. Seeber

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

We evaluate potential determinants of enrollment in an early retirement incentive program for non-tenure-track employees at a large university. Using administrative records on the eligible, population of employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements, historical employee count and layoff data by budget units, and public information on unit budgets, we find dips in per-employee finances in a budget unit during the application year and higher recent per employee layoffs were associated with increased probabilities of eligible employee program enrollment. Our results also suggest that, on average, employees whose salaries are lower than we would predict given their personal characteristics and …

Invisibilities, Uncertainties, And Unexpected Surprises: The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Students, Staff, And Faculty At Colleges And Universities In Colorado (Executive Summary), Kristie L. Seelman, N. E. Walls, Kelly Costello, Karly Steffens, Kyle Inselman, Hillary Montague-Asp

Kristie L Seelman

No abstract provided.

Invisibilities, Uncertainties, And Unexpected Surprises: The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Students, Staff, And Faculty At Colleges And Universities In Colorado, Kristie L. Seelman, N. E. Walls, Kelly Costello, Karly Steffens, Kyle Inselman, Hillary Montague-Asp

Kristie L Seelman

No abstract provided.

Smoke-Free Mental Health Settings: Exploring The Knowledge, Attitudes And Experience Of Staff, Susan M. Kerr, Beinn Wilson, Kamala Soundararajan, Denise Meldrum, Stephen Lockie

Dr. Susan Kerr

Background

Smoking is 2-3 times more common in people with mental health problems than in the general population. This has serious health implications, with rates of cancer being high and coronary heart disease and respiratory disorders commonplace.

Reducing the prevalence of smoking and tobacco-related harm is central to UK Government policy. The introduction of a ban on smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland in 2006 and in England and Wales in 2007 is a central component of wider tobacco control legislation. One year after the initial legislation was introduced in England and Wales a comprehensive smoke-free policy (i.e. buildings …

Schools For Scoundrels, David Field

David Field

Extract: What is the extent of a school’s liability to its students if they are injured by the deliberate actions of someone who is either a member of staff, or associated with the school in some capacity which makes it possible for them to harm students in some way? This was the hypothetical question posed in the 2004 Bond University High School Mooting Competition, which in 2004 attracted over 130 school teams from nine regions of Australia, and was, for the first time, extended to allow Malaysian schools to take part in their own competition.

The Great Dilemma Of Improving Teacher Quality In Adult Learning, Cristine A. Smith, Ricardo Gomez

Cristine Smith

No abstract provided.

Finding Congruence, Finding Meaning: Value Intersections And Transforming Relationships Among Faculty And Staff At A Religious College, Christy M. Craft, Alyssa N. Bryant

Christy Moran Craft

This case study explored how faculty and staff derived meaning from their work within a religious college environment. The findings suggest that the meaning-making process was fostered by connection. Many staff and faculty found meaning in their work as they experienced correspondence between work and personal values, the mission and values of the institution, and/or global democratic values. Furthermore, transforming relationships that were personally affirming and enabled faculty and staff to make a difference and observe transformation in others' lives were instrumental in providing a conduit for meaningful connection.

What Are The Effects Of Work Restructuring On Employee Well-Being And Firm Performance? Evidence From Telecommunications Services, Rosemary Batt

Rosemary Batt

The purpose of this study was to assess whether there are benefits to employees and firms associated with new forms of work organization and human resource and industrial relations practices. I examine a series of interrelated questions that may be summarized as follows. First, does participation in either total quality improvement teams or self-directed teams have benefits for workers, managers, and firms? If benefits exist, are they undermined by the negative effects of understaffing and job insecurity associated with downsizing? And finally, is there a coherent set of work organization, human resource, and industrial relations practices that provides mutual gains …

A New Alliance In New York State: A Progress Report On The Labor Movement’S Restructuring, Capacity Building, And Programmatic Work, Jeff Grabelsky

Jeffrey Grabelsky

The labor movement in New York State (NYS) has undergone a dramatic restructuring that is part of a national American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations program called the New Alliance. The purpose of the New Alliance is to build the capacity of local labor movements and to empower unions to help shape a region’s political and economic agenda. The restructuring in NYS led to the consolidation of twenty-five central labor councils into five area labor federations, each of which is developing the resources, staff, and leadership to help grow labor’s regional power across the state. This article describes the …