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Developing Information Systems is a process fraught with danger and often resulting in failure. Failure rates now run at 80% and there is no sign of decline [16,17,18,20,21,30,31,35,36,40]. If Information Systems (IS) projects are...
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Developing Information Systems is a process fraught with danger and often resulting in failure. Failure rates now run at 80% and there is no sign of decline [16,17,18,20,21,30,31,35,36,40]. If Information Systems (IS) projects are high risk even in industrialised societies, then projects in developing countries and newly emerging economies are even more prone to failure. Putting IS projects together with the developing economies would appear to be a recipe for disaster but this paper describes an IS project developed between the UK and China which has got to beta testing stage and shows early signs of success. The paper describes the process whereby the project was developed, the methodology applied and the problems and difficulties encountered. Taking as its point of reference the autumn 1999 review mission, the paper describes the situation for the Feasibility and Appraisal Information System (FAIS) at that time and draws out some policy and methodology learning issues relevant to others planning IS in similar contexts.
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Public organizations involved in planning and implementation of developmental activity, education, research and development, as well as private firms delivering professional services and operating in a rapidly changing socio-econo...
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Public organizations involved in planning and implementation of developmental activity, education, research and development, as well as private firms delivering professional services and operating in a rapidly changing socio-economic environment are often concerned mainly with innovation, problem-solving and learning rather than with the production of any tangible outputs. The income streams of such organizations also often stem from environmental support rather than from a sale of widgets. Sustaining developmental activity in part requires maintaining such organizations at a high level of productivity, which calls for special design considerations that this paper attempts to delineate. A formal model of the production, knowledge acquisition and governance functions of an innovation organization is developed and experimented with through computer simulation using the heuristical approach of system dynamics. The analysis suggests that professional competence in organizations may atrophy, eventually leading to their demise, due to the development of a governance system that is largely driven by manifest authority, unless a concerted effort is made to preserve collegial decision roles. In terms of organizational design, this translates into considering constituents other than those used normally for creating mechanistic and organic components of organizational structure. Since professional competence often emanates from collegial rather than manifest processes, an important aspect of the design is to sustain collegial roles. Since collegial roles are undefined, their maintenance calls for placing constraints on manifest roles with prolific expansion potential. A promising design constituent for sustaining an appropriate governance system for an innovation organization appears to be a chartering process that should create an organizational magna carta clearly stating the limitations of the manifest roles. Other possible entry points into the system, albeit external, include bringing in leadership perspectives and linking with market forces that should allow the curtailment of prolific expansion of manifest roles.
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Although ill-defined, the term “development management” is broadly understood to refer to the management of economic and social development, and the reduction of poverty, at various levels from macro to micro, in lower income co...
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Although ill-defined, the term “development management” is broadly understood to refer to the management of economic and social development, and the reduction of poverty, at various levels from macro to micro, in lower income countries. “Development management” pre-supposes “development managers”, but this term is even less well defined. Popular perceptions suggest that the concept is less easily applied at the macro level, but more readily at the micro, and also more to someone who is development-minded than someone whose job is to manage or implement development policies and processes, although the two can overlap. This perception – and its implications for management training – is followed through to suggest a profile of a development manager as someone who is forward-thinking, people-oriented, resourceful, flexible in his or her approach to means of achieving objectives, and morally committed.
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Our most important learnings come not simply when we see the world anew, but specifically when we see ourselves - and our role in creating the world - anew. - Ursula Versteegen In the field of education and beyond, developing stud...
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Our most important learnings come not simply when we see the world anew, but specifically when we see ourselves - and our role in creating the world - anew. - Ursula Versteegen In the field of education and beyond, developing students' 21st-century skills has emerged as both a goal and a call to action. Backdropped by the complexities of an ever-changing global landscape, curriculum for students across the educational spectrum has expanded to include an increased focus on STEM skills and knowledge, civic engagement, cultural literacy, and collaborative, project-based learning (Trilling and Fadel, 2009). Indeed, it is clear that preparing students for the future requires changes in not only what students know - but also how they come to know it. The same, our decades of mixed-methods and qualitative research suggests, holds true for the adults who teach and lead them.
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In the twenty-first century, revenue generation has become the lifeblood of organizational growth and survival. In most organizations, sales managers are responsible for recruiting and selecting talented personnel, onboard...
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In the twenty-first century, revenue generation has become the lifeblood of organizational growth and survival. In most organizations, sales managers are responsible for recruiting and selecting talented personnel, onboarding and training,establishing sales strategies and targets, evaluating performance and coaching, and ultimately responsible for controlling the activities of salespeople to drive the production of sales revenue (Ingram etal., 2009). Due to the broad, diverse, dynamic, and critical nature of their jobs, sales managers need a wide variety of assorted skills, competencies, and talents to be effective in this critical organizational role.
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Purpose: There has been a decades-long debate in the leadership development field about the validity and efficacy of strengths-based assessment. This debate is not about recognizing the value in “a conversation about what’s righ...
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Purpose: There has been a decades-long debate in the leadership development field about the validity and efficacy of strengths-based assessment. This debate is not about recognizing the value in “a conversation about what’s right with people […] we were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses”. Most agree that there is value in building on strengths. Design/methodology/approach: The debate is fueled by psychologists, recognized experts in understanding human performance who dismiss Gallup - and other strengths-based leadership firms - who falsely promote the assertion “what’s more, we had discovered that people had several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing strengths instead of correcting weaknesses”. This is not true - no matter how aggressively strengths-based firms market this notion. Findings: Strength-based approaches, especially as an exclusive approach, is overtly blind to the critical fact that most people show a mix of strengths and weaknesses - performance drivers and derailers - and the whole mix interacts. So besides missing the intended mark of increasing a professional’s skills in leadership, teamwork and communications, there are significant costs to this approach that vary from missed opportunities to downright dangerous. Originality/value: Stanford Business School Professor Jeffrey Pfeiffer drives this point home in his book Leadership BS, a bruising critique of the leadership development industry. Pfeiffer correctly states that the leadership development industry is driven more by marketing and sales imperatives than the application of peer-reviewed scientific studies - which a century ago transformed the medical model and led to the successful eradication of many diseases. Unfortunately, the leadership development industry is driven by marketing and sales imperatives instead of good science. In fact, this may only accelerate in the future as many top assessment firms have been bought by public companies - often in the staffing industry - that seek ways to increase their earnings, focused more on shareholder returns than the science of performance.
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Abstract Aim The objective of this study was to identify possible pre‐ and postnatal factors influencing neurodevelopment of the young child. Methods We used data from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 201...
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Abstract Aim The objective of this study was to identify possible pre‐ and postnatal factors influencing neurodevelopment of the young child. Methods We used data from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 ( COPSAC 2010 ) mother–child cohort, but excluded those with a neurological diagnosis, born <37?weeks of gestation and birthweights <2500?g, resulting in 650 children analysed. Neurodevelopment was assessed as age of achievement of early milestones, language scores at 1 and 2?years and cognitive score at 2 ? years of age. Results Neurodevelopmental scores were not associated with breastfeeding, persistent wheeze, eczema and number of sick days (p?>?0.05 in all tests). Early age at milestone achievement was associated with male sex (p?=?0.05), lower maternal age (p?=?0.02), higher gestational age (p?<?0.001) and paternity leave (p?=?0.01). A higher 1‐year language score was associated with female sex (p?=?0.02) and maternal smoking during pregnancy (p?=?0.01) and a higher 2‐year language score with female sex (p?<?0.001) and being first born (p?=?0.01). A higher cognitive score was associated with female sex (p?=?0.02). Conclusion Neurodevelopmental scores were unrelated to breastfeeding, persistent wheeze, eczema and number of sick days. Neurodevelopment in early childhood was mostly associated with gender.
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In a wide range of issues such as aid effectiveness, poverty reduction and planning, development management has witnessed a schism between reformists and radicals. This article traces the 'schism' between reformist and radical vie...
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In a wide range of issues such as aid effectiveness, poverty reduction and planning, development management has witnessed a schism between reformists and radicals. This article traces the 'schism' between reformist and radical views, critiques their unnecessary dichotomization and proposes an epistemologically-grounded metaphor for managing divergent ideas. Moving beyond the schism, the article examines current conceptions from Gulrajani that the synthesis should be at the 'centre' of the spectrum between radical and reformist frames. The article then proposes an 'off-centre' radical-reformist synthesis with a less apologetic acceptance of reformist or 'managerialist' approaches.
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Novelty and sameness can conceal each other. Regardless of how things might appear in hindsight, we risk missing the mark if we indiscriminately insist on seeing new proposals and emerging movements simply as reincarnations of old...
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Novelty and sameness can conceal each other. Regardless of how things might appear in hindsight, we risk missing the mark if we indiscriminately insist on seeing new proposals and emerging movements simply as reincarnations of old advice, whether to justify or refute them.
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Background Economic globalization, rapid advances in technology and cognitive science, and a worldwide movement toward outcomes-based program accreditation increasingly require changes in the traditional model of engineering educa...
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Background Economic globalization, rapid advances in technology and cognitive science, and a worldwide movement toward outcomes-based program accreditation increasingly require changes in the traditional model of engineering education design and delivery. As yet, no validated framework exists for designing instructional development programs that would equip engineering educators to make those changes. Existing programs consequently vary considerably in scope and effectiveness across countries and institutions. Purpose This article reviews the content and structures of instructional development programs around the world and to formulate a robust framework for designing and delivering effective programs for engineering educators. Scope/Method Literature on the design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional development programs is reviewed and summarized. Five criteria drawn from Raymond Wlodkowski's theory of adult learner motivation (expertise of instructors, relevance of content, choice in application, praxis [action plus reflection], and groupwork) are proposed as a framework for designing engineering instructional development programs, and the framework is applied to formulate recommendations for making programs effective. Research questions that should be explored to validate the framework are suggested. Conclusion Wlodkowski's five-factor theory of adult learner motivation provides a good framework for the design of engineering instructional development programs. The criteria are compatible with the cognitive science-based How People Learn instructional model and also with recommendations of faculty development authorities. Making engineering instructional development effective at an institution will require applying the criteria to program design and delivery and creating an institutional expectation of faculty participation in the programs.
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