American Management Association Research Articles

Reflecting: Two Decades of portal Editorials and Accomplishments

Reflecting:Two Decades of portal Editorials and Accomplishments Ellysa Stern Cahoy (bio) As portal's new editor (as of January 2023), I am finding inspiration in reflection as I excavate our journal's rich history to uncover future possibilities. Reading portal's past editorials (published in each issue since the journal's inception in 2001) is a fascinating way to better understand not only portal's successful trajectory over the past two-plus decades, but also the issues and challenges our profession as a whole has faced and largely conquered. Widely recognized as the father of reflective practice, the philosopher and educator John Dewey wrote, "Reflective thinking is always more or less troublesome because it involves overcoming the inertia that inclines one to accept suggestions at their face value; it involves willingness to endure a condition of mental unrest."1 A more recent researcher on the power of reflection, Carol Rodgers, defined the act of reflection itself as "a meaning-making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with deeper understanding of its relationships with and connections to other experiences and ideas." She asserts that reflection should happen in interaction with others and that it requires an attitude attuned to personal and professional growth and change.2 The "mental unrest" and "meaning making" that Dewey and Rodgers describe is at the heart of all academic work. With engaged students, learning is almost always uncomfortable, because it involves internal challenge and personal growth. The act of reflection, a partner in the learning process, is ideally incorporated throughout all phases of a creative, intellectual process, including the production of scholarly work. As I explored two decades of portal editorials, I saw multiple instances of reflection and "meaning making"—librarians confronting tough issues in our profession and looking toward creative solutions, as well as the "mental unrest" that comes when one is within a problem and the solution, while ahead, is not yet in sight. Our journal's first editorial, "Through portal," written by inaugural managing editor Gloriana St. Clair, does not mention the "mental unrest" and the coalescing event behind portal's founding—the 1999 purchase of the Journal of Academic Librarianship's publisher by Elsevier, resulting in higher subscription costs and an imperative for LIS [End Page 223] researchers to assume leadership in scholarly publishing.3 She does, however, identify three core objectives for the nascent publication: • To offer an affordable alternative to serials that have gone up an average of 9 percent a year while the consumer price index increased only 3.3 percent; • To provide a more inviting, constructive, and productive environment for authors; • To model a scholarly communications system as outlined in recent pronouncements from the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Create Change initiative.4 These imperatives persist today. EBSCO's recently released 2022 Serials Price Projection Report indicates that for research and academic libraries, journal prices have increased more than 18 percent over the past four years (2018–2022).5 Open access research publishing is growing and provides alternatives, but deep challenges remain. St. Clair also discusses her initiation of portal's mentoring program, which was originally designed to provide intensive support from "the moment (authors) decide to engage in research to the moment when they elect to submit the finished product either to portal or to some other journal."6 Individual mentoring was provided by seasoned librarians active in the American Library Association's Library Administration and Management Association Research Committee and the Library Research Round Table. Executive editor Charles Lowry, also a portal founding editor, described the impact of the mentoring program in 2004 as "advanc(ing) a new idea that a manuscript may be raw, but if it contains the core of good research the author deserves more than a rejection. Thus we extend mentoring to help develop good ideas and good research into viable publishable articles."7 portal's mentoring program flourishes to the present day in the form of our Editorial Board's double-blind peer review of refereed articles. When an article is submitted to portal for peer-reviewed consideration, the conversation begins. Each reviewer provides unique and developmental feedback on an article under consideration...

Ann Marie O'Roark (1933-2022).

Memorializes Ann Marie O'Roark (1933-2022). Ann was a pioneer in applying psychology in consulting and international psychology. She blazed other trails, especially for women, using her strong interpersonal and political skills to help organizations run smoother and better fulfill their missions. Ann frequently instructed in leadership development at the Center for Creative Leadership, the Development Institute at Eckerd College, and the American Management Association's Executive Effectiveness Course. From 1976 to 2006, she successfully ran her own independent practice, consulting in the private sector, government, and professional associations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The critically thinking employee: employers' point of view

Critical thinking is one of the most significant skills and abilities, which have direct impact on individual success and society’s welfare. Especially loud is the voice of employers drawing attention to the need for critical thinking skills in the labour market and in a rapidly changing world in general. The World Economic Forum (2018) indicated the ten most wanted and needed skills in the labour market of 2020: critical thinking was placed at number two, following problem solving at number one. The American Management Association (AMA) Critical Skills Survey (2010, 2012) revealed that, according to employers, employees need to think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate, and communicate more effectively – they must excel at the “four Cs”: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. The goal of this article is to find out what and how employers with different managerial experience see critically thinking employees in today’s labour market. The research is based on phenomenography methodology and is the first such type of research about critical thinking in Lithuania. The phenomenography study revealed three hierarchically interconnected categories: A- decision to act here and now; B- verified and assured decision to act. C- innovative decisions for operational improvement. Empirical data allows identifying critical thinking related expectations of employers who anticipate that their employees could deal with emerging situations and are able to reason chosen decisions. Employers state that the critically thinking employee could give innovative suggestions; research participants describe critical thinking as higher order reasoning which gives added value to an organisation. Such understanding reflects the definition of critical thinking as a cognitive endeavour, directed to functionality in making decisions and solving particular problems. Employees’ critical thinking manifests at personal, interpersonal and societal levels.

Influence of Principals’ Conflict Management Techniques on Teacher Job Satisfaction in Selected Secondary Schools in Uriri and Nyatike Sub Counties, Kenya

According to a survey by the American Management Association, managers spend 24% of their time managing conflicts. This is a waste of time as a resource, reducing this time wastage would mean improving the quality of management. Conflict is inevitable and a natural phenomenon, the secondary school principals in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties have not been spared of the challenges of conflict management on teacher job satisfaction. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the principals’ conflict management techniques on teacher job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties, Kenya. It was guided by Engle& Kane, M. J. (2004 Herzberg's two-factor theory and a conceptual framework used to show the interplay between the principals’ conflict management techniques and teacher job satisfaction. The research employed a descriptive survey design to obtain information. The target study population consisted of 1960 teachers, 87 principals in 87 secondary schools in Uriri and Nyatike sub-counties. Stratified simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 29 principals and 319 teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires. Face and content validity of the instruments was determined by experts in educational management and policy studies. In order to enhance the reliability of the instrument, a pilot study was conducted in 6 secondary schools in the sub-counties, which were excluded from the main study. The reliability was tested using test-retest method and a Pearson’s r coefficient of 0.79 for principals’ and 0.83 for teachers’ questionnaires obtained. Quantitative data was analysed using frequency count, percentages and mean. The study established that integrating obliging had a strong and positive correlation with teacher job satisfaction, dominating and avoiding techniques had p>0.05 which is not statistically significant. The findings add to the existing body of knowledge and may be useful in developing guidelines for principals and other stakeholders to enable them to manage schools effectively. Also, help the Ministry of Education to formulate training materials for school managers to enable them to manage conflicts effectively and to enable teachers and educators to improve and manage conflicts in schools more effectively and efficiently.

Fostering Professional Competencies in Engineering Undergraduates with EPS@ISEP

Engineering education addresses the development of professional competencies in undergraduates. In this context, the core set of professional competencies includes critical thinking and problem solving, effective communication, collaboration and team building, and creativity and innovation—also known as the four Cs—as well as socio-professional ethics and sustainable development—referred in this paper as the two Ss. While the four Cs were identified by the associates of the American Management Association based on the needs of the society, professional associations, and businesses; this paper proposes the two S extension to ensure that future engineers contribute to the well-being of individuals and the preservation of life on Earth. It proposes a tangible framework—the 4C2S—and an application method to analyse the contributions made by engineering capstone programmes to the development of these core competencies in future engineering professionals. The method is applied to an engineering capstone programme—the European Project Semester (EPS) offered by the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP)—and a specific project case—EPS@ISEP Pet Tracker project developed in 2013, constituting, in addition, a road map for the application of the 4C2S framework to engineering capstone programmes. The results show that EPS@ISEP complies with the 4C2S framework.

Primal Teams: Harnessing the Power of Emotions to Fuel Extraordinary Performance

Primal Teams: Harnessing the Power of Emotions to Fuel Extraordinary Performance Jackie Barretta 2014, American Management Association $24.95 (Hardcover), 230 pagesPrimal Teams is a look at how both positive and negative emotions should be considered in managing team performance. Barretta combines experiences from her own journey in leadership roles in Information and Technology Management, case studies from a variety of organizations, along with research from many different scientific fields, including psychology, neuroscience, quantum physics, spiritual texts, and organization development, to name a few areas. Her consulting firm, Nura Group, focuses on innovation and performance in teams. Anyone who lives and/or works in a collaborative fashion with others will relate and take away something from this book. Although Barretta focuses on teams, as human beings, we are emotional beings, and have been taught to shut our emotions out at work- don't let them see you sweat! Barretta describes many examples of how emotions should be considered to drive peak performance, or to help leaders transform a negative situation and turn it around into a positive one. She also includes helpful exercises at the end of the chapters to aid team leaders develop their skills of building emotional intelligence into teamwork.This book is timely because of the environmental trends which cause us to worry, be afraid, and wonder about our existence, our world, and our workplace. Recessionary trends have added additional questions as to whether or not we will have a job in a month, six months or year. As budgets get tighter and tighter, leaders of teams have to be cognizant of how to motivate team members to perform at a high level, and it isn't always easy. Barretta suggests that if employees can connect from their heart to the task, they can join together to innovate in ways they would be unable to by not connecting emotionally with the situation.Several areas covered in this book include: the importance of feelings and tapping them in both positive and negative situations; why emotions fuel extraordinary performance; explanations of how the cognitive function works with emotions for tapping an energy source that pushes beyond the limits of individual capabilities; how the heart affects performance; how and why play matters to break through difficult team experiences; processing through fear and negativity and its importance; groupthink and emotion; and the importance of understanding motivation and its connections to what people value.We all wish to lead successful teams and know how to deal with the challenges teams face in an erratic global environment. However, not much is written regarding a team's emotional center and connecting that energy to a mission, goal, or project. Furthermore, Primal Teams discusses how to begin to tap into intuition which Barretta suggests should be partnered with rational thinking. Barretta ends the book by discussing how to manage egos, which can obliterate a team dynamic and thwart productivity.Primal Teams has an abundance of new ideas regarding emotional team intelligence, and leaders can select techniques from the book to use, based on their team situation. Some particular areas that leaders may find useful include how to look at motivation from the standpoint of what moves an employee emotionally to get to the root of performance; how to prevent fear and negativity from impeding peak performance; to consider emotional dispositions when hiring; and use more emotional techniques to communicate effectively. …

DONALDSON BROWN (1885–1965): THE POWER OF AN INDIVIDUAL AND HIS IDEAS OVER TIME

ABSTRACT Donaldson Brown developed the expanded Return on Investment (ROI) measure, or DuPont formula, in l914. However ROI was not Brown's only contribution to financial management. His dealer ten-day reporting system was widely and rapidly adopted throughout the auto industry. His ideas to support a variety of forecasting and planning techniques supported decentralized corporate management and his pricing processes were cutting-edge developments that others tried to emulate. Flexible budgeting at General Motors, frequently unrecognized, also was in place during his financial administration in the early l920s. ROI remains Brown's most prominent contribution and the technique achieved status as a dominant approach to financial management in industrial corporations by the l950s. As a national standard-of-performance measure, it was supported by varying sources including the American Management Association as well as in the teaching materials of academics, especially Robert N. Anthony of the Harvard Business School. The impact of these forms of dissemination led to ROI being adopted eventually at the Ford Motor Company when its previously autocratic centralized style of Ford family management was replaced by a team known as the Whiz Kids, led by Harvard Business School alumnus Robert McNamara and a former GM vice president, Earnest Breech. This paper asserts the significance of the innovations developed by Brown as being among the most important of those initiated in 20th century corporate America, and thus among the most important in the development of 20th century accounting and financial management thought.

Effectiveness of Training and Development in the Indian IndustrieS

The enormous production needs of the World War I and II created a heavy influx of new workers with little or no industrial education or skills to the workplace, thereby necessitating massive training efforts that were at once fast and effective. In particular, the heavy demand for shipping construction during world war I resulted in tenfold increase in workers trained on-site instructors who were supervisor using simple force step method: show, tell, do, check. During the World War II, large numbers of trained industrial workers left their Jobs to enter the armed forces, severely limiting the organisational support normally provided by co workers in train their replacements. Heavy demands were placed on foremen and supervisors, and training within industry (TWI) service was formed to trained supervisors as the instructors. Job instruction training (JIT) was employed to train defence _ plant supervisors in instructing new employees in necessary job skills as quickly as possible. Other programs included job relations training (GRT), job methods training (GMT), and job safety training (GST). During this time, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) was formed. By the end of World War II most companies and organisations realized the importance of training and development as a fundamental organisational tool. th century witnessed the emergence of training and development as a profession, resulting in the creation of training associations and societies, the advent of the assembly line requiring greater specificity in training, and the dramatic training requirements of the world wars important groups forming during this period include the American Management Association in 1923 (which began as the National Association of Corporation schools in 1913) ,and the National Management Association in 1956(which began as the National Association of Foremen in 1925). At the same time, Henry Ford (1863-1947) introduced the assembly line at his Highland Park, Michigan, plant. Because, the assembly line created an even greater division of labour, along with an unprecedented need for precision and teamwork, job tasks and assignments required more highly specific and focused training than ever before. The enormous production needs of the World War I and II created a heavy influx of new workers with little or no industrial education or skills to the workplace, thereby necessitating massive training efforts that were at once fast and effective. In particular, the heavy demand for shipping construction during world war I resulted in tenfold increase in workers trained on-site instructors who were supervisor using simple force step method: show, tell, do, check. During the World War II, large numbers of trained industrial workers left their Jobs to enter the armed forces, severely limiting the organisational support normally provided by co workers in train their replacements. Heavy demands were placed on foremen and supervisors, and training within industry (TWI) service was formed to trained supervisors as the instructors. Job instruction training (JIT) was employed to train defence _ plant supervisors in instructing new employees in necessary job skills as quickly as possible. Other programs included job relations training (GRT), job methods training (GMT), and job safety training (GST). During this time, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) was formed. By the end of World War II most companies and organisations realized the importance of training and development as a fundamental organisational tool. Hence, the researcher has taken the importance and effectiveness of training and development programmes and selected Brakes India Ltd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India as her area of study. II. Review Of Literature This part briefly reviews the study of different aspects of evaluation of effectiveness of training and development connected either directly or indirectly with the present study. The review of literature was highly useful to design the present study as it indicated the research gap in the study of training programmes of Brakes India Limited, Padi, Chennai. The study of training programmes, policies and practices has attracted the attention of many researchers and research organizations in western countries, particularly the United States of America. Their experiences may be of relevance and significance to us.

Public Employees’ Shifting Privacy Expectations in the Digital Age

Recent developments in portable wireless and internet-capable technologies have improved countless facets of everyday life. The ubiquity of Blackberrys, iPhones and other 21st century communication devices has reshaped modern commerce, social interactions and litigation in ways that our legislatures and judiciary can seldom keep up with. The use of these technologies in the workplace has led to increased workplace efficiencies as well. Many 21st century workers are equipped with these devices by their employers and leave the office only to continue working remotely for ever-increasing amounts of time. This heightened access between employer and employee has led to some troubling results. A recent study by the American Management Association of employer administration of workplace technology found that two-thirds of employers monitor their employees’ internet connections, 43% monitor employees’ e-mails and 28% have fired workers for misuse of electronic messaging services. But simply because there may be employer policies in place that limit privacy expectations does not imply that Americans should no longer expect any privacy once they enter the workplace. It is possible that increased scrutiny may actually stifle workplace innovation. Regardless of the recent developments of the American workplace, the Fourth Amendment affords public employees with certain privacy expectations and it continues to protect public employees from unreasonable searches by their employers. As of the writing of this note, the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether or not the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects government workers from unreasonable searches in their e-mails and text messages. This note will argue that the Supreme Court should recommit itself to its previously established “operational realities of the workplace” test as it applies in the yet to be decided Supreme Court case of City of Ontario v. Quon and rule in favor of Jeff Quon on the question of his Fourth Amendment workplace privacy rights as they apply to messages sent from his workplace issued text messaging device. This note will also discuss pragmatic steps that employers, employees and practitioners should consider in light of the recent widespread shifts in workplace technology and monitoring.

The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm

The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm

Attrition – A Sign of Leadership Problems

Universities are learning organizations of the highest level. Thus, it is essential that they retain andrecruit faculty that will maintain and push the growth of the organization. Carruthers (n.d.) in addressingwhy attrition is an important organizational issue stated, "an American Management Association surveyshowed that four out of five CEOs view employee retention as a serious issue for organizationalsuccess" (p.1). Kaye and Jordan-Evans (1999) after examining countless research studies concluded"the cost of replacing key people runs between 70 percent and 200 percent of their annual salary. Hardcosts can include advertising, search firms, interviewing and relocation expenses, and sign-onbonuses. And the softer, harder-to-measure costs can include time spent on interviewing, orienting,and training (and the work put on hold to do it), lost customers (due to their loyalty to the formeremployees), and declining morale and productivity on the part of remaining coworkers" (p.1). Yet,attrition is a problem that most universities are constantly faced with. A number of strategies have beendeveloped; the most recent promoted strategy is mentorship. But in most instances the strategies aretreating the symptom not the problem. Unless the problem becomes the focus for treatment, attrition willremain.

Meyer Bloomfield: Organizer of the Vocational Guidance Movement (1907–1917)

Meyer Bloomfield was the preeminent leader of the vocational guidance movement during the first 20 years of the 20th century. From 1907 to 1917, he worked to establish organizations, which today are called the National Career Development Association and the American Management Association, and to found a journal, which is now called the Journal of Counseling & Development. To train vocational guidance personnel, he offered the 1st university course in counselor education. He also published several books and many articles on vocational guidance for both professionals and the public.

Understanding Action Learning, by Judy O'Neil and Victoria J. Marsick. New York: American Management Association, 2007. $29 (paperback) ISBN‐13: 978‐0‐8144‐7395‐5

<i>Understanding Action Learning</i>, by Judy O'Neil and Victoria J. Marsick. New York: American Management Association, 2007. $29 (paperback) ISBN‐13: 978‐0‐8144‐7395‐5

Book Review: Thomas, R. R., Jr. (2006). Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in Our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society. New York: American Management Association

Book Review: Thomas, R. R., Jr. (2006). Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in Our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society. New York: American Management Association

American management association launches free podcast series

American management association launches free podcast series

Email Privacy and the Wiretap Act: U.S. v. Councilman

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes Michael Booth, Many in U.S. Don't Mind Being E-mauled, DENVER POST, Aug. 16, 1998, at A1. http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/SpectorPro_Windows/index.html. [Visited January 7, 2007]. 18 United States Code 2510-2522 (2000). Lisa K. Bruno, 1st Circuit rules company VP can be charged for intercepting e-mail, Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly, August 22, 2005. Steve Wilmsen, Internet Merchant Accused of Intercepting Rival's E-Mail, Boston Globe, Nov. 23, 1999, at A1. Section 2510(4). Jessica Belskis, Article: Applying the Wiretap Act to Online Communications After U.S. v. Councilman, 2 Shidler Journal of Law, Commerce and Technology 18, Spring 2006. U.S. v. Councilman, 373 F.3d 197 (1st Cir. 2004). U.S. v. Councilman, 418 F.3d 67 (1st Cir. 2005) (en banc). Victory in US v. Councilman Case, http://I-newswire.com/pr41879.html. [Visited December 1, 2006]. Pew Internet & American Life Project, Daily Internet Activities, www.pewinternet.org/trends (last visited Aug. 19, 2006). Samantha L. Martin, Note: Interpreting the Wiretap Act: Applying Ordinary Rules of “Transit” To The Internet Context, 28 Cardozo Law Review 441, October 1996. Charles Arthur, Identity Crisis on the Internet, New Scientist, March 11, 1995. A full discussion of remailing can be found at www.andrebacard.com/remail.html. (Visited January 12, 2007). Allison R. Michael and Scott M. Lidman, Monitoring of Employees Still Growing: Employers Seek Greater Productivity and Avoidance of Harassment Liability; Most Workers Have lost on Privacy Claims, National Law Journal, January 29, 2001. Blakely v. Continental Airlines Inc., 751 A.2d 538 (N.J. Sup. Ct. 2000). Meir S. Hornung, Think Before You Type: A Look at Email Privacy in the Workplace, 15 Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law 115, 2005. Ari Schwartz, Deirdre Mulligan and Indrani Mondral, COMMENTARY: Storing Our Lives Online: Expanded Email Storage Raises Complex Policy Issues, 1 I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society 997, Spring/Summer 2005. American Management Association, 2005 Electronic Monitoring Surveillance Survey, www.amanet.org/research/pdfs/EMS-summary05.pdf. [Visited January 7, 2007]. Michael L. Rustad and Thomas H. Koenig, Cybertorts and Legal Lag: An Empirical Analysis, 13 Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal 77 (2003). Barbara Kate Repa, Computers and Email on the Job, www.hrlawinfo.com/lawguide/Privacy/computers_and_emai.asp, [Visited January 7, 2007].

Monitoring Technology in the American Workplace: Would Adopting English Privacy Standards Better Balance Employee Privacy and Productivity

In an article summarizing privacy law in the American workplace, noted privacy law scholar Matthew Finkin painted a dramatic picture of the surveillance under which many American employees work.' For example, he cited a 2001 American Management Association study showing that nearly 80% of the large employers surveyed, who together employ as many as one out of four American workers, listened to employees' phone conversations and voice mail, and monitored electronic files and email.2 Finkin quoted the Privacy Foundation's statistic that 34% of workers are monitored continuously with regard to their email and Internet usage.3 However, Finkin also pointed

Celebration of Fools: An Inside Look at the Rise and Fall of JCPenneyCelebration of Fools: An Inside Look at the Rise and Fall of JCPenney By HareBill. New York, NY: AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 2004, 294 pages, hard cover, $24.95

This article presents a review of the book “Celebration of Fools: An Inside Look at the Rise and Fall of JCPenney,” by Bill Hare.

You can mentor a team, too

Employment Relations TodayVolume 32, Issue 1 p. 35-40 Features You can mentor a team, too Florence Stone, Florence Stone fstone@amanet.org www.amanet.org AMACOM American Management Association MWorldSearch for more papers by this author Florence Stone, Florence Stone fstone@amanet.org www.amanet.org AMACOM American Management Association MWorldSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 April 2005 https://doi.org/10.1002/ert.20050AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume32, Issue1Spring 2005Pages 35-40 RelatedInformation

When Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic OrganizationWhen Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization By GuttmanHoward M.. New York: American Management Association, 2003. 272 pages, hard cover, $27.95.

The book review is for “When Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization,” by Howard M. Guttman.