Opening doors as well as banging on tables. An assessment of UNISON/employer partnerships on learning in the UK public sector.

The academic debate on partnerships has so far mainly focused on whether there are mutual gains for both unions and employers and whether they support or undermine branch organisation. This debate is here assessed in relation to learning partnerships, which are considered to be a distinctive form of partnership and represent a process of institution-building.

Competitive advantage revisited: Michael Porter on strategy and competitiveness.

Strategic management is constantly evolving as both an academic discipline and as a reflection of management practice. This article, based on a recent interview with Michael Porter, assesses his contribution to the development of the discipline in the context of the advances that have taken place since the publication of his seminal work Competitive Strategy in 1980. The authors conclude that Porter has made major lasting contributions to strategy, increasing both its academic rigor and its accessibility to managers. The article and interview place Porter's work at the center of the development of strategic management in terms of the provision of practical analytical frameworks, transforming it into a recognized and recognizable field of academic study and management practice. This feat of transformation has not been equaled before or since, so that 25 years after his first seminal contribution, Porter's work continues to provide remarkable insights into the nature of competition and strategy.

Knowledge based strategy: appraising knowledge creation capability in organisations.

This thesis sets out a journey which culminates in the development of an analytical framework, the "Organisational Creativity Appraisal" which is intended to assist organisations in evaluating their ability to support and develop creativity. This framework is derived from the common thread of the thesis, which is drawn from a range of research and consultancy projects, and the resulting published work, spanning an eight year period, centring on the role of knowledge and creativity in the strategy and performance of organisations. The literature of strategy, learning and creativity increasingly recognises that organisational context is critical to the formation of strategy, to the content of the strategy and to its successful implementation. The thesis explores the ways in which learning and creativity, the basis of knowledge-based strategy, are influenced by organisational context or social architecture. The research explores the ways in which managers can gain greater understanding of the social architectures of their organisations so as to assist in supporting their strategic development. The central core of the thesis is the nine published papers upon which it is based but it also derives from the broader perspective of my published work in the form of both articles and books. The thesis further draws upon my own experience as a leader and manager in the context of university business schools and as a consultant, researcher and developer in the context of a range of international private and public sector organisations. The work is based upon a premise that theory should inform practice and that practice should inform theory. The "Organisational Creativity Appraisal" framework is informed by both theory and practice and is intended to assist in management practice. There is no assumption that management research can arrive at prescriptions for managerial and organisational behaviour. On the other hand management research can usefully inform management and organisational behaviour, as long as it is employed in a critically reflective manner. The "Organisational Creativity Appraisal" presented in this work should be regarded as the framework in its present form which is likely to develop further as my research progresses in the future.

Exploring the contribution of workplace learning to an HRD strategy in the Scottish legal profession.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of human resource development (HRD) for law firms in the UK. It examines how the characteristics of legal professional practice in the UK, including the partnership structure, long established methods of targeting solicitors and the law society, may act as barriers to the implementation of HRD. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses an exploratory case study research approach to investigate characteristics and issues influencing the adoption of HRD in a Scottish legal firm. Primary data are collected via semi-structured interviews with a cross-section of representatives. Findings – Despite recognition of the importance of learning, the characteristic elements of law firms, including the partnership structure; the pervasiveness of time-billed targets in the solicitor community; and HR’s profile and acceptance among the solicitor community, remain as barriers to the applicability of HRD. The research also exposes variability on the level and scope of development opportunities, an emphasis on technical skills development, and a lack of solicitors’ self-managed learning ability. Research limitations/implications – While the research findings provide a useful insight into the barriers to HRD in one legal firm, this does not allow for any generalisations being drawn from the study. Practical implications – The paper explores the suitability of workplace learning to support legal professional development. Originality/value – There is a dearth of research into HRD in legal practices in the UK. The paper contributes to the contextual influences that limit the applicability of HRD to legal professional practices.

Reflections on the development of a dynamic learning, teaching and assessment strategy.

Developing learning, teaching and assessment strategies that foster ongoing engagement and provide inspiration to academic staff is a particular challenge. This paper demonstrates how an institutional learning, teaching and assessment strategy was developed and a ‘dynamic’ strategy created in order to achieve the ongoing enhancement of the quality of the student learning experience. The authors use the discussion of the evolution, development and launch of the Strategy and underpinning Resource Bank to reflect on the hopes and intentions behind the approach; firstly the paper will discuss the collaborative and iterative approach taken to the development of an institutional learning, teaching and assessment strategy; and secondly, the development of open access educational resources to underpin the strategy. The paper then outlines staff engagement with the resource bank and positive outcomes which have been identified to date, identifies the next steps in achieving the ambition behind the strategy and outlines the action research and fuller evaluation which will be used to monitor progress and ensure responsive learning at institutional level.

Enhancing the link between business and operations strategy.

This paper reprots on the use of banchmarking to improve the links between business and operations strategies. The use of benchmarking as a toll to facilitate improvements in these crucial links is examined. The existing literature on process benchmarking is used to from a structured questionnaire to apply to six case studies of major manuifacturing companies. Four of these case studies are presented in this paper to highlight the use of benchmarking in this application. Initial researh results are presented drawing upon the critical success factors indentified both in the literature and on the case results. Recommendations for further work are outlined

Benchmarking the business and operations strategy link.

This paper reports on the use of benchmarking to improve the links between business and operations strategies. The use of benchmarking as a tool to facilitate improvement in these crucial links is examined. The existing literature on process benchmarking is used to form a structured questionnaire to apply to six case studies of major maunfacturing companies. Four of these case studies are presented drawing upon the critical success factors identified both in the literature and on the case results. Recommendations for further work are outlined.