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Welcome to the latest issue of the iROWE newsletter, in

which we share with you our research and activities

within the world of organisations, work and employment.

iROWE‘s staff continue to be awarded funding to carry out their research, and throughout the newsletter members share their findings on: conflict management, lean thinking, mediation , internal communications, and challenges for innovation.

Our ever popular evening seminar series has seen some lively debates. In May, Charlie Irvine, from Strathclyde University discussed workplace mediation. In November, Helen Bailey from Pinna Ltd will be running a seminar on workplace coaching, and how this can be utilised more effectively in organisations. Full details are available on the back page. We have seen some staff changes, as this summer Dr Costas Theodoridis moved on to join MMU Business School, and Dr Tony Bennett has now retired from UCLan. We wish both of them well in their future plans.

We would like to congratulate Dr Ruth Slater for achieving her PhD ―The ―Professional Project‖ of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: 1968 to 2010 ‖ from Lancaster University. Also Dr Alison Hollinrake for receiving her doctorate titled ‗Policy into practice: To what extent is union learning representative (ULR) activity meeting the expectations of its principal stakeholders?‘ from Nottingham Trent University.

Issue 9, Nov 2014

U N I V E R S I T O F C E N T R A L L A N C A S H I R E

Research News

iROWE seeks to encourage the conduct and dissemination of high quality

academic research into organisations, work and employment. In addition iROWE

works closely with employers, government and trade unions in order to inform the

development of effective workplace practice and policy

Contact: Gemma

Wibberley

01772 894674

gwibberley@uclan.ac.uk

http://bit.ly/12Vp4ZG

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Issue 9, Nov 2014

iROWE and in particular Tony Bennett feature heavily on the University of Dundee ,

Early Dispute Resolution HE/FE Forum.

Both Tony‘s article on workplace mediation in universities , and his feature on his experience as an internal mediator are cited. In this online forum good practice

about mediation and other forms of conflict resolution are published.

The web pages also offer an array of resources for mediators and others interested in finding out more

about mediation.

Tony‘s pieces are cited at : http://www.dundee.ac.uk/academic/edr/

hefeforum.htm

In May ,Professor Charlie Irvine presented “Do you seen

what I’m dealing with here? Vicious circles in workplace conflict.” Charlie is Course Leader on Strathclyde

University‘s Masters in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, and a professional mediator.

In his talk, Charlie explained how biases and mental

shortcuts can exacerbate employment disputes. He highlighted that people often make assumptions about the reasons for their colleague‘s behaviour, and are more

likely to blame their personality for actions we find offensive, rather than question what the circumstances might be that have made them act in this way. Using the

example of a colleague sending texts during your presentation, who you assume is a rude person, but may be experiencing a family problem.

Charlie noted that we are more likely to make these assumptions if we are stressed,

or the more personally we feel the offence. Or as the conflict escalates, as each

disputant becomes convinced of the bad behaviour of others, and each action is perceived negatively. He believes that bullying and harassment policies and

procedures may typically reinforce these vicious circles, as each party is labelled as a ‗victim‘ or ‗bully‘ with little opportunity to discuss the problem directly with each

other, and only to react to the situation.

Luckily, if we are aware of own biases we can act upon them, however, it can be very difficult for people to do this, especially when they are already involved in the

dispute. Mediation can be a helpful tool, as it encourages the parties to understand the reasons behind each other‘s behaviour, and what actions have aggravated the

other party.

Vicious circles in workplace conflict

‘Good Practice’ mediation research

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Issue 9, Nov 2014

Recent iROWE publications (N.B journals typically require subscription for access, or visit Uclan’s repository for alternative access — http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/)

McClelland, G. P., Leach, D. J., Clegg, C. W. and McGowan, I. (2014), Collaborative crafting in call centre teams. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87: 464–486. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joop.12058/abstract

Bolton, S. and Wibberley, G. (2014) ‗Domiciliary care: the formal and informal labour process‘, Sociology, Vol. 48(4) 682–697

http://soc.sagepub.com/content/48/4/682

Emma Thirkell & Ian Ashman (2014) Lean towards learning: connecting Lean Thinking and human resource management in UK higher education, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, (online before print) http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.948901

Saundry, R. and Wibberley, G. (2014) Workplace Dispute Resolution and

the Management of Individual Conflict —A Thematic Analysis of Five Case Studies Acas: 06/14, http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/q/a/0614-

Workplace-Dispute-Resolution-Thematic-Review.pdf

Bennett, A. (2014) ‗The role of workplace mediation: A critical assessment‘, Personnel Review, Vol. 43 Iss.5 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2012-0036

Ashman, Ian; Willcocks, Steve (2014) Engaging with clinical

commissioning: the attitudes of general practitioners in East Lancashire,

Quality in Primary Care, Volume 22, Number 2,pp. 91-99 http://

www.ingentaconnect.com/content/omics/

qpc/2014/00000022/00000002/art00006

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Issue 9, Nov 2014

Richard Saundry and Gemma Wibberley have written a

report on the management of individual conflict and the resolution of employment disputes.

This review explores five organisations drawing on

interviews with HR practitioners, line and operational

managers, employee representatives, and trained mediators. The work was kindly funded by Acas. It aims to

provide new insights into the challenges faced by organisations in managing conflict, an under-researched

area.

Key findings for effective conflict management include:

informal social processes that help to identify and address conflict at an early stage.

high-trust relationships between HR, Line managers and employee representatives. However, these relationships are under threat—creating a

‗resolution gap‘ . developing the skills and confidence of line managers to handle conflict

organisations must recognise that conflict management is a strategic rather

than a transactional issue taking a more holistic approach to mediation

The full review ―Saundry, R. and Wibberley, G. (2014) Workplace Dispute Resolution

and the Management of Individual Conflict —A Thematic Analysis of Five Case Studies Acas: 06/14‖ is freely available via Acas : http://www.acas.org.uk/media/

pdf/q/a/0614-Workplace-Dispute-Resolution-Thematic-Review.pdf

The review attracted a lot of attention in the press, social media and trade press.

For instance Brendan Barber, chair of Acas, debated whether ‗organisations expect too much from line-managers‘ in their handling of workplace conflict, in Personnel

Today’ http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/brendan-barber-organisations-expect-much-line-managers/

The results were also utilised by Acas in a recent Employment Relations Comment

piece. This was entitled ‗Plugging the confidence gap? Changing perceptions of conflict at work‘ . The comment piece focusses on the challenges experienced by

line managers in dealing with workplace conflict, and also draws on the materials from the ESRC workplace conflict seminar series run last year by iROWE. It is

available freely via Acas http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/0/1/ER-Comment-conflict-at-work.pdf

Conflict management

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Douglas Martin presented on ‗The ―Big Box‖ scenario: standardisation and standard operating models in the

UK Civil Service‘ to the British Industrial Relations Association Conference, University of Westminster,

June 25 to 27 2014

Gemma Wibberley and Ian Ashman were invited to speak at the Mediation masterclass at MMU in September.

Mary Welch presented Internal communication education: A historical critical

analysis at the International History of Public Relations Conference in July 2014 at Bournemouth University.

Issue 9, Nov 2014

Conference presentations

The findings of a new study of workplace mediation in the university sector by Tony

Bennett are discussed in Personnel Review. Interviews were conducted with a cross

section of key players in mediation from a sample of universities in the North of

England.

The key findings of the research suggest that whilst there are many similarities with

other organisations in terms of the rationale for and management of mediation in

the workplace, there are also some sector specific variables that inform that

practice. These include:

The ethos of the sector,

The nature of the academic labour process

A propensity to network with others within

the sector

The full paper "Tony Bennett, (2014) "The role of workplace mediation: A critical assessment", Personnel Review, Volume 43, Issue: 5" can be

accessed here via subscription: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2012-0036

Workplace mediation in Higher Education

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Issue 9, Nov 2014

Emma Thirkell and Ian Ashman recently

published their findings on Lean Thinking and HRM in UK higher education. Recent changes

to university funding in the UK, occurring against a background of intensifying

competition and financial austerity, have resulted in a dual challenge for higher

education institutions of improving quality and reducing costs. At the same time, some have

argued that students are adopting the traits of consumerism and that academic freedom is in

retreat. As a consequence, the higher education sector appears to be increasingly employing quality concepts such as total quality management (TQM), business

process reengineering (BPR) and, most recently, Lean. From its origins in the automotive industry, Lean Thinking is increasingly being seen as a solution to

problems of efficiency and quality in other industries and sectors. In recent years

attempts have been made to transfer Lean principles and practice to the higher education sector, with indications of mixed consequences and debate over its

suitability.

Emma and Ian draw on evidence from 34 interviews conducted across two UK universities that have implemented Lean in some of their activities, and pay

particular attention to the role of the human resource function in facilitating its introduction. Their findings suggest that there are problems in understanding,

communicating and transferring Lean Thinking in the higher education context; despite human resource systems being vital facets of Lean, human resource

professionals are excluded from participation; and as a consequence the depth and breadth of Lean application in the two institutions is very limited.

Their conclusions suggest that, contrary to much of the existing debates within the

public sector, the adoption and implementation of Lean Thinking across the UK

higher education sector is unlikely to succeed until greater conceptual clarity is attained and more account taken of particular context. They also suggest that the

exclusion of relevant human resource professionals from the implementation of Lean thinking will be detrimental to the success of such initiatives and that more

attention should be paid to the human resource processes, techniques and outcomes.

Emma Thirkell & Ian Ashman (2014) Lean towards learning: connecting Lean

Thinking and human resource management in UK higher education, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, (online before print)

The full paper is available here (free for a limited period and then via subscription)

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2014.948901

Lean Thinking and HRM in universities

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Mary Welch’s work on internal communications has been generating attention internationally. She was invited to become an editorial team member of the

Institute for Public Relations (USA) Organizational Communication Research Center. This involves contributing to their "Research

Conversations" blog to reach practitioners and other researchers. The institute and Mary‘s pieces can be accessed via : http://

www.instituteforpr.org/

Also, one of Mary‘s articles has been selected for republication as a seminal paper for an international collection of Major Works in Strategic Communication to be

published by Sage. The four-volume work is edited by two eminent public relations professors. The book, part of the Sage Benchmarks in Communication, is published

in November 2014 (ISBN: 9781446275832).

The original article is Welch, M. (2011) The evolution of the employee engagement

concept: communication implications. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. Vol. 16 No. 4 pp. 328-346.

Internal Communications updates

Issue 9, Nov 2014

A recent publication by David Vickers and his colleagues examines the links claimed

between situated learning and innovation. In particular they critique the limitations of communities of practice (COP) theory. COP theory is basically a strand of

organisational learning which studies how communities learn their practices and how those practices are passed onto others. Innovation is sometimes created by

communities that operate under the organisational radar. These are called non-canonical' communities of practice.

The chapter considers how a human resource policy on electronic access to

buildings, designed to give staff flexibility, unintentionally damaged non canonical practices and innovation because staff could not enter buildings at 'anti-social'

certain hours. As such an HR policy, designed to help staff, was limiting the ability of some staff to innovate and add value to the

organisation.

The full publication is available via : Fox, S and Vickers, D (2014)

‗Innovation, learning, communities and actor-networks of practice‘, Chapter 2 in Soliman, F. (ed.) ―From Knowledge Management to

Learning Organization to Innovation: The way ahead!” Cambridge Mass., IGI Global Publishing.

Accidently limiting innovation?

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Call for conference papers: The Degradation of the Employment Relationship – Back to Work as the Focus of CMS

International Conference Critical Management Studies, Leicester University,8th–10th July 15

Braverman‘s critique of the ‗degradation of work in the twentieth century‘ stemmed partly from the ‗personal affront‘ and ‗social outrage‘ he encountered amongst craftsmen (sic) in

deskilled industrial settings. If he were here to consider degradation in the twenty-first cen-tury, he would firstly need to expand his focus to include aspects of the employment relation-ship beyond labour process and skill, as neoliberalism has created an environment within

which employee rights and terms and conditions of work have been consistently eroded, and the broader experience of work has been degraded. Secondly, he might be surprised, and

perhaps disappointed, at the apparent lack of affront and outrage that has accompanied the-se changes. Our stream thus seeks to extend an analysis of the degradation of work, to in-clude the basic employment relationship, and to provoke anger at what is taking place

around us, particularly within the relatively cosseted academic community, which too often concerns itself with intellectual puzzles that distract from the material experiences of people

under pressure. This degradation is evident on several levels. Firstly, the context within which management

takes place has changed significantly. On the one hand, the ownership structures of capital encourage a short termism that leads to the hollowing out of ‗businesses‘ and a squeeze on

the least powerful stakeholders, all too often, employees. On the other, the cultural environ-ment that lionises leaders and managers as the sole arbiters of all that is effective and effi-cient, bolstered by an enthusiastically biased media, that demonises trade unions and ‗anti-

capitalist‘ resisters, makes challenging the conditions difficult. Stifled debates about mini-mum wage legislation, the ‗living wage‘, industrial disputes and trade unions, and problems

with various aspects of employment legislation, including health and safety and access to re-dress in disputes, do relatively little to improve matters. Secondly, within organizations there

are many examples of the steady erosion of the employment relationship: pay and the emer-gence of ‗the working poor‘; zero hours contracts and part-time work; temporary and short-term work; enforced self-employment; the narrowing of dispute resolution options; and the

deployment of insidious forms of control under the mantle of ‗development‘ appraisals and performance reviews

In keeping with the overall theme of the conference, this stream is designed to highlight workers and employees, who have often been neglected by critical management theorists, as

an alternative focus for analysis. We welcome papers which : address the issues outlined above and which explore the experience of work that is en-

dured by many around the world. offer insight into how people make sense of, and live their lives in the neo-liberal, man-

agerial workplace, and how they push back against what is presented as an inevitable

and unassailable trend. provide further empirical evidence of the changes taking place and, more specifically,

the effects of these changes on peoples‘ lives, both within and outside the workplace. examine the changing mechanisms of the employment relationship and their deleterious

consequences.

examine the wider business, media and policy context, which may include studies of the discursive constructions of fair employment relations, and the (usually negative) repre-

sentation of interest groups such as trade unions and pressure groups in the media. offer strategies for countering the prevailing neoliberal discourses and practices around

work, including case studies of resistance and alternatives.

Abstracts of 500 words should be sent to Louise McArdle, by January 31st 2015. You will be

notified by 27th February 2015 as to whether your paper has been accepted. Stream Convenors: Dr. Pete Thomas - DOWT, Lancaster University; Dr Richard Saundry -

Plymouth Graduate School of Management; Louise McArdle - iROWE, Lancashire Busi-ness School, Uclan, Lmc-ardle@uclan.ac.uk

CMS2015 conference website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/conference/cms15/conference-themes

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We regularly post updates about our research activities and events via social media

channels. There is also opportunity for discussion with other people interested in

employment issues. If you would like to be connected to iROWE via social media,

then please email iROWE at wcseminars@uclan.ac.uk or you can find us on:

like – IROWE Seminars

The iROWE Facebook has been re-launched to offer a new way to access

us and our activities.

Follow – iROWE Uclan

The iROWE twitter has all the latest information about research, awards

and events

Join- iROWE

The linkedin account has a group where there are regular discussions with

other iROWE connections

Join iROWE on Social Media

Issue 9, Nov 2014

Become an associate member iROWE is a research institute located within Lancashire Business School at the University of Central

Lancashire. It provides a forum for the development and dissemination of high quality research into

organisations, work and employment. Its work has a particular emphasis on policy and practice—in

short research that has an impact and makes a difference.

Therefore, iROWE brings together academics, managers, HR professionals, union representatives and

policy makers. If you would like to be part of this exciting institute and kept at the forefront of

research then become an ASSOCIATE MEMBER. This FREE membership is open to all those with a

professional interest in organisations, work or employment. Benefits include: research e-newsletter,

regular free seminars by key speakers in the field, consultancy opportunities for your organization,

and networking.

To join just email Gemma Wibberley at gwibberley@uclan.ac.uk

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