Management Matters Issue 2

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The Department of <strong>Management</strong> Studies is excited to announce the launch of our sleek new website. We have made numerous changes to the website to include dropdown menus and a more streamlined navigation. There are a myriad of smaller changes throughout the website, all with the intention of making your browsing experience better. As we continue to improve our website design, we welcome your feedback on these changes. We also invite you to bookmark our website so that you can quickly peruse the latest news and events at the Department. You can click the above icon to access the website or visit http://sta.uwi.edu/ fss/dms/ Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most diverse island states in the Caribbean region. As microcosms of society, this diversity is reflected within organisations island wide. As such persons of diverse ages, races, sexes, sexual orientations and religious addition, the acceptance of diverse people will be influenced by the extent to which the organisation actively recognises the contribution of all individuals on their merit, rather than relying on stereotypes (to determine their worth and value). beliefs are employed across different sectors. Academic scholars are engaged in an ongoing debate as to whether or not organisations Disparate treatment on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, marital status benefit from diversity, and have and disability, has been outlawed in Trinidad and Tobago, through the enactment of suggested that the following gains may be the Equal Opportunity Act, 2000. realised by diverse organisations: increased innovation and “...benefits are not However, a 2007 survey conducted creativity; a wider and more diverse necessarily realised by the UK based Chartered Institute talent pool; increased simply by virtue of of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that legislation is only productivity; and increased market share as a result of the di- having a diverse one factor which may influence an workforce ” organisation’s decision to embrace verse staff members attracting a wider range of clients and/or customers. diversity. They found that factors such as a desire to recruit and retain talented However, these benefits are not necessarily realised simply by virtue of having a diverse workforce. In fact, there are certain context specific factors that may impede the accrual employees; the pursuit of a CSR agenda; a moral obligation; and an improvement in business performance and other tangible benefits were also persuasive. of the desired benefits. These factors include the existing organisational culture and the extent to which it is inclusive; the extent to which diverse groups depend on and interact with each other in order to successfully complete a task/project; and the extent to which inclusivity is championed by the organisation’s leadership. In For organisations employing a homogeneous staff, a transition towards heterogeneity is not a panacea. Any movement towards greater inclusivity will require a clear change management strategy and will be best achieved by taking incremental steps towards this goal.
Ansylla Payne-Quan Kep Workplace deviance is one of the most costly, destructive issues facing organisations today. Workplace deviance refers to purposeful, norm-violating employee behaviours that may harm businesses and/or its members. Research has largely focused on the negative outcomes of deviant work behaviours. However, employee perceptions and attitudes can predict the extent to which employees engage in deviance. Riann Singh conducted a study with a Trinidad sample of 969 employees which explored the relationship between employee perceptions of organisational support, organisational trust, their embeddedness within their organisation and the extent to which such perceptions and attitudes impact deviance. The findings suggest that employees’ perception of organisational support and organisational trust each negatively predicts deviant behaviours. However, when support and trust are high, if employees are not highly embedded in their jobs, deviance can increase. This study has two important practical implications. First, the findings suggest that organisations should strive to treat employees in a consistent and positive manner during all employee interactions to help build support systems and maintain trust. Second, organisations should be wary of attempts to retain employees who perceive little organisational support or little organisational trust since such retention strategies can negatively impact employees who are deeply embedded by possibly initiating an increase in deviant behaviours. Service level employees in the fast food industry are known to be very transitory, negatively impacting operational efficiency and customer service delivery for many businesses therein. Ansylla conducted a quantitative, longitudinal, multi-level study that focused on West Indian based fast food companies. In this study, Ansylla investigated Leader-Member Exchange as a predictor of subordinates’ intention to leave an organisation. In that relationship, she further examined emotional intelligence and perception of supervisory support as a moderator and mediator respectively, and thus adds to management research in this regard. Ansylla collected three waves of data, with the sample being drawn from fast food employees based in Trinidad, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts. The findings supported the proposed relationships with the exception of the moderating effect of emotional intelligence. Then, drop by for our annual research week! This year, our three-day Research Week was fully sponsored by our partner TSTT, which is a testament to one of the main goals of the Department which is industry engagement. On the first day, Masters students presented a snapshot of their research which ranged from addressing HR issues in the workplace to efficiently managing sport facilities across the island. On the second day, the general public was treated to four panel sessions with a mix of industry experts including Robert Mayers and David Abdullah, and subject matter experts from the Department including Vaalmikki Arjoon and Acolla Lewis-Cameron. Some of the issues addressed include marketing strategies for an economy in decline, devaluation for financial success, governance of state enterprises and managing human resources. Research Week closed with a Business Challenge for the undergraduate Industrial Relations students for which they confronted the current industrial relations challenges facing Trinidad and Tobago before a panel of esteemed industry experts including the president of the Energy Chamber of Commerce.
Page 1 and 2: The Department of Management Studie
Page 3: The vastly changing landscape in Tr

Management Matters Issue 2

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?