A creative twist: management theory, creativity and the arts

For many theorists and practitioners in the area of organizational theory, HRM, marketing and other domains of organization studies, organizational creativity is something to be distilled and managed as an element of organizational performance. The article argues, however, that this process of appropriation from the creative arts is subject to a number of problematic transitions. The article's starting point is the notion of creativity itself. Within the creative arts, the question of what constitutes creativity and its relationship to artistic practice is subject to considerable debate. This debate centers on the question of whether creativity represents an essentialist and inexplicable (even spiritual) component of artistic practice or whether creativity is a trait of work and cannot be attributed as a unique aspect of art. The mantra of creativity provides nothing more than a means to control individuals and provide them with a false hope that contributing to the success of business will provide a means to self fulfillment.

A possible journey to an Australian knowledge management framework

World wide there is a transition towards knowledge-based economies In order to foster them, many economies have built frameworks in conjunction with world forums that promote international cooperation. Our research focuses on Australia, an economy that has been named by the OECD as knowledge-based. Specifically, the paper appraises the transition towards knowledge economies in general. We then examine the Australian context through the implemented eEurope framework with the intent of providing suggestions to Australia in its transition towards building its knowledge management
framework.

Using critical ethnography to explore issues in health promotion

In this article, the author outlines the need for a critical research method in the field of health promotion to explore the determinants of health. These determinants, including healthy child development, employment and working conditions, and education, for example, underlie many of the health issues that individuals experience. They are, in turn, influenced by nebulous factors such as patterns of inequality, and cultural norms, which are difficult to research using conventional methodologies. The author provides an overview of critical ethnography as a method for health promotion research. She describes specific data collection and analysis techniques, with the addition of critical discourse analysis to add scope to ethnographic findings. She concludes with an overview of the congruence between critical ethnography and health promotion research, including a discussion of the differences between critical ethnography and participatory action research.

Experienced teachers' perspectives on cultural and social class diversity : which differences matter?

This article reports on a pilot study that investigated the beliefs, values, and pedagogies of experienced high school teachers who worked with student populations of non-English speaking and economically disadvantaged immigrants or refugees in Australia. Qualitative research methods, including focus groups and in-depth individual interviews with teachers, produced data that were examined using Critical Discourse Analysis. Close reading of the teachers' comments suggests that there are a number of key discourses that teachers use to make sense of differences among culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged groups of students. Specifically, teachers distinguish between cultural groups on the basis of students' life experiences prior to arrival in Australia; students' collective and individual educational experiences; and the different social class positioning of students within the same ethnic group. In their comments, teachers at times categorised students in generalised and stereotypical ways but also were able to critique and reflect on their personal assumptions. An analysis of the teachers' reflections provides insights into how they made sense of “diversity” and how, as teachers, they try to work productively with ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged students.

The competing discourses of workplace health

This article presents an analysis of workplace health programme discourses within an international information technology company. Discourse refers to a system of statements that share a common force and coherence and which are socially constitutive. The representation of entities such as workplace health can be subject to competition between discourses. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken on semi-structured interviews, participant observation and workplace health programme documents. Two competing discourses were identified: health as safety and health as lifestyle. Each discourse is described and shown to both implicitly and explicitly define health within this particular workplace. Lifestyle discourse encouraged moves towards linking of the employees' working and private lives while safety discourse defined health in the relationship between workers and their physical environment. Competition between discourses both constricts and opens spaces for alternative understandings of health in the workplace. The implications of this competition for workplace health policy and practice are discussed.

Guideline-based programs in the treatment of complex PTSD

The term “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD) is a relatively new diagnostic label, being formally recognized in 1980 in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Psychiatric Illness – Third Edition (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 1980). Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CP) is a more recently discussed, and newly-classified, phenomenon, initially discussed in the early 1990s (Herman, 1992a). Thus, as research into effective treatments for CP is sparse, the treatment of CP is the topic of this study, in which a guideline-based treatment program developed by the researcher for the treatment of CP is implemented and evaluated. Ten individuals participated in this study, undertaking individualized, guideline-based treatment programs spanning a period of six months. In providing background information relevant to this study, an explanation is provided regarding the nature of CP, and the reasons for its consideration as a separate phenomenon to PTSD. The adequacy of the PTSD formulation in enabling effective assessment and treatment of CP is also explored, with endorsement of previous researchers’ conclusions that the CP construct is more useful than the PTSD construct for assessing and treating survivors of long-term and multiple forms of abuse. The PTSD classification is restrictive, and not necessarily appropriate for certain forms of trauma (such as prolonged trauma, or multiple forms of trauma), as such trauma experiences may lead to specific effects that lay outside those formerly associated with PTSD. Such effects include alterations in affect regulation, consciousness, self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and in systems of meaning. Following discussion regarding the PTSD/CP classification, an examination of treatment methods currently used in the treatment of PTSD, and a review of treatment outcome studies, takes place. The adequacy of primary treatment methods in treating CP symptoms is then examined, with the conclusion that a range of treatment methods could potentially be useful in the treatment of CP symptoms. Individuals with a diagnosis of CP may benefit from the adoption of an eclectic approach, drawing on different treatment options for different symptoms, and constantly evaluating client progress and re-evaluating interventions. This review of treatment approaches is followed by details of an initial study undertaken to obtain feedback from individuals who had suffered long-term/multiple trauma and who had received treatment. Participants in this initial study were asked open-ended questions regarding the treatment approach they had experienced, the most useful aspect of the treatment, the least useful aspect, and other strategies/treatment approaches that may have been useful – but which were not used. The feedback obtained from these individuals was used to inform the development of treatment guidelines for use in the main study, as were recommendations made by Chu (1998). The predominant focus of the treatment guidelines was “ego strengthening”, a term coined by Chu (1998) to describe the “initial (sometimes lengthy) period of developing fundamental skills in maintaining supportive relationships, developing self-care strategies, coping with symptomatology, improving functioning, and establishing a positive self identity” (p.75). Using a case study approach, data are then presented relating to each of the ten individuals involved in the treatment program: details of his/her trauma experience(s)and the impact of the trauma (as perceived by each individual); details of each individual’s treatment program (as planned, and as implemented); post-treatment evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of the treatment program (from the therapist’s perspective); and details of the symptoms reported by the individual post-treatment, via psychometric assessment and also during interview. Analysis and discussion of the data relating to the ten participants in the study are the focal point of this study. The evaluation of the effectiveness of each individual’s treatment has been based predominantly on qualitative data, obtained from an analysis of language (discourse analysis) used by participants to describe their symptoms pre- and post-treatment. Both blatant and subtle changes in the language used by participants to describe themselves, their behaviour, and their relationships pre- and post-treatment have provided an insight into the possible changes that occurred as a result of the treatment program. The language used by participants has been a rich source of data, one that has enabled the researcher to obtain information that could not be obtained using psychometric assessment methods. Most of the participants in this study portrayed notable changes in many of the CP symptoms, including being more stable and having improved capacity to explore their early abuse. Although no direct cause-effect relationship between the participants’ treatment program and the improvements described can be established from this study, the participants’ perception that the program assisted them with their symptoms, and reported many aspects of “ego strengthening”, is of major importance. Such self-perception of strength and empowerment is important if an individual is going to be able to deal with past trauma experiences. In fact, abreactive work may have a greater chance of succeeding if those who have experienced long-term or multiple trauma are feeling more empowered, and more stable, as were the participants in this study (post-intervention). In concluding this study, recommendations have been made in regard to the use of guideline-based treatment programs in the responsible treatment of CP. Strengths and limitations of this study have also been highlighted, and recommendations have been made regarding possibilities for future research related to CP treatment. On the whole, this study has supported strongly other research that highlights the importance of focusing on “ego strengthening” in assisting those who have suffered long-term/multiple trauma experiences. Thus, a guideline-based program focusing on assisting sufferers of long-term trauma with some, or all, of the symptoms of CP, is recommended as an important first stage of any treatment of individuals who have experienced long-term/multiple trauma, allowing them to develop the emotional and psychological strength required to deal with past traumatic events. Clinicians who are treating patients whose history depicts long-term or multiple trauma experiences (either from their childhood, or at some stage in their adult life) need, therefore, to be mindful of assessing individuals for symptoms of CP – so that they can treat these symptoms prior to engaging in any work associated directly with the past traumatic experiences.

Community development and enterprise culture : prospects and dilemmas

Community Development as a form of practice promotes empowerment and social justice. Its origins lie in people's collective struggle to be heard, recognised and accorded full citizenship in society. It has developed strategies to achieve social change that challenge dominant ways of thinking, policy and resource allocation in society. 'Enterprise culture has its origins in the individualism and competitiveness of capitalism. These essentially neo-liberalist concepts have been remoulded into a radical political program of change sponsored by the state under the guise of new managerialism, competitive tendering and privatization. This research seeks to examine the interface between community development and enterprise culture as a potential site of tension and contestation through an analysis of discourse. The initial task, therefore, was to elaborate the concept of enterprise culture and examine the ways enterprise culture has been manifested in community development. The focus has been on practitioners committed to community development through a qualitative, empirical approach with a view to discerning their views on the relevance and impact of enterprise culture on their work. Community development provides a useful domain for interrogating the infiltration of the concept of the enterprise culture because of its history of opposition and mobilisation. The research seeks to understand the ways in which the forms of enterprise culture as an essentially cultural project are manifested in practice contexts and to analyse the nature of the response to its various manifestations. As a result, it constitutes more than just a critique of any one of these forms, eg, privatisation, tendering out, managerialism, and instead seeks to investigate the degree to which a cultural shift may be occurring towards notions of greater individualism and away from collective notions of responsibility, obligation and citizenship. The research critically analyses the impact of enterprise culture on Australian social policy through the case study of community development practice. The manifestations of enterprise culture are investigated at various levels, with an emphasis on the responses of practitioners. A related aim is to reveal the range of possible responses to the infiltration of the enterprise culture in terms of values, language and practice into community development. Are new forms of practice emerging or is the field being steadily co-opted by government social and educational policy? Finally, the research should enable some future directions to be identified for the field of community development. The findings represent an initial attempt in an Australian context to establish the degree of influence that enterprise culture has had and/or will have on social policy. Chapter 1 examines the concept of enterprise culture and a background to its impact on community development as a domain of practice. The meaning of enterprise culture and its origins will be examined in Chapter 2. Its influence on Australian social policy is then discussed with particular reference to recent changes in Victoria regarding family services. In Chapter 3, the main features of critical discourse analysis are outlined as a framework for subsequent analysis of the links between discourse and hegemony. The work of Fairclough (1992, 1995) is utilised to highlight the relevance of discourse analysis to an examination of the infiltration of ideas associated with enterprise culture into the domain of community development. Chapter 4 provides an overview of the origins and defining characteristics of community development practice. The diverse beginnings and philosophical underpinnings are discussed and the main features of community development outlined in order to establish meanings attached to key concepts such as empowerment and participation. In Chapter 5, the findings of initial interviews with sixteen community development practitioners are discussed in terms of their perceptions of the impact of enterprise culture on their practice and the organisational culture within which they operate. These initial interviews were conducted in November-December 1996. A primary focus of the interviews was to establish the key words in their lexicon of practice and to provide an opportunity for reflection on the relative influence of discourse and practices associated with enterprise culture. A framework for analysing and making sense of the forms of response to enterprise culture is applied to the responses. Four forms of possible response are proposed and discussed in the context of the data. Follow up interviews were conducted in November-December 1997 and the findings of these interviews are discussed in Chapter 6. A particular emphasis in these interviews was on any changes in the lexicon of practice and indications of a change in the impact of discourse and practices associated with enterprise culture. The forms of response suggested in the framework outlined in Chapter 5 are discussed in the light of any movement in the responses of participants in the study. The implications of the findings are discussed in the context of the framework of responses or forms of embrace of enterprise culture analysed in earlier chapters. Finally, in Chapter 7, the potential for community development as a form of practice to transcend or at least accommodate the impact of enterprise culture through strategic forms of embrace is discussed and possible strategies based on the research that may assist in the development of this response are proposed.

Critique of "cultural fit" in relation to the recruitment of Indian information technologists for the Y2K project in Australia

In this study of intercultural communication, I investigate the multi-faceted meaning of the expression " cultural fit " in the sense that it is used by recruiters when shortlisting Indian information technologists to fill skills shortages for the Y2K project in Australia. The data is in the form of ten videotaped interviews in Bangalore and the recruiter commentary on those tapes in Melbourne. A crucial decision to be made by recruiters in any shortlisting process is " How will the candidate fit into the workplace?" This question becomes more problematical when applied to overseas-trained professionals. I take a critical approach, drawing principally on the research traditions of linguistics where studies of intercultural communication and workplace interaction intersect, employing chiefly the tools of Critical Discourse Analysis and Interactional Sociolinguistics and the more abstract notions of Bourdieu. A bridge between these different discourse approaches is provided by Sarangi & Roberts < 1999 < who show the connection between the larger institutional order and interactional routines, through an elaboration of frontstage talk and backstage talk following Goffman < 1959 < . An analysis of the interviews < frontstage talk < reveals "cultural fit" to involve a knowledge of institutional talk, in particular, directness. The recruiter commentary < backstage talk < draws attention to issues of intelligibility, body language, technical expertise and workplace values. the study shows that Indian Information Technologists have "partial fit" in that they possess technical fit but do not demonstrate, or lack the opportunity to demonstrate in the interview, Australian workplace values such as small talk, humour and informality. The recruiter judgments were fleeting and apart from checking for intelligibility, were made on the basis of candidates' body language thus highlighting its importance and its relative absence from the discourse approaches mentioned above. This study shows clearly that there is room for more communicative flexibility on the part of all the stakeholders.

Public space : its mythopoetic foundations and the limits of the law

Drawing on William Dawes' unpublished notebooks on the Indigenous languages spoken around Sydney Cove at the time of white settlement, this article hopes to provoke critical reflection on the limits of the law. Dawes' record of communication with Patyegarang documents a transaction that was both political and erotic, both about the law and in defiance of it. In performances that were gestural as well as verbal, they marked out a middle ground where the laws governing both of them were placed in parentheses and new, provisional, rules of exchange improvised. This article notices the existence of this middle ground, and marks its disappearance in subsequent legal discourse about the status of Indigenous people. Ultimately, it offers a reflection on the laws that govern the meeting place which the middle ground underwrites. That is, before public space became fixed for the legally binding discourse of politics, it was mobile and self-constituting. Is this simply a myth or is it a mythopoetic mechanism for rethinking the grounding of law in Australia? If it is the latter, then the next step will be to establish a middle ground of exchange with Indigenous law-giving systems.

Issues of power and control within women's experience of breastfeeding following childbirth

In this interpretive study, six women who have had some difficulty with breastfeeding, tell of their experiences of breastfeeding following childbirth. These stories are discussed using the feminist poststructuralist theory of discourse analysis, as presented by Weedon (1987). The women's stories reveal a wide range of experiences, and conflicting discourses, many of which relate to issues of power and control surrounding breastfeeding.

Visualising clientelism in the Indonesian political tabloids 1998-2001

The thesis uses a discourse analysis approach to examine the visual grammar and the political meanings of the front cover designs of the Indonesian political tabloids in the period 1998-2001 and argues that the meanings show that Indonesian politics operates on the basis of clientelism.

Positioning, linguistic theory and Orwell's short nonfiction

It is argued, making reference to an Orwell text sample, that linguistic theory illuminates "positioning" (as term and concept), that positioning's flexibility contributes to critical textual analysis and to attempts to understand complex human processes, but how far language may constrain as well as facilitate such understanding must remain open.

Discursive recontextualization in a public health setting

The authors discuss discursive recontextualization as a process of discursive change in which stable referents may be recombined. As such, discursive recontextualization recognizes the interplay of both stability and instability without necessarily privileging the latter. Drawing on intertextual document analysis of a series of public reports published in the wake of a major health policy initiative in Victoria, Australia— Health to 2050—the authors identify a discursive pattern in which descriptions of a disaggregation from large Health Care Networks to smaller Metropolitan Health Services echo those of an earlier aggregation of individual hospitals into the Health Care Networks. The authors suggest that future research into discourse and organizational change will benefit from greater attention to stabilization and such recontextualization as well as to fluidity and instability. They examine implications for change agents and for researchers in the field.

Enabling e-governance through Web 2.0 : role of ICTs in civic assignation

Citizen participation is essential for progressive representative democracies.  In this paper, we analyze the rolw of ICTs and particularly Web 2.0, in Indian Elections of 2009, to unearth it ICTs had enabled citizen empowerment and engagement e-democracy.  We build on preliminary research over the past decase, anf outline the role of Web 2.0 in the pivotal elections process using the methodological framework of historiography and critical discourse analysis.

Reporting of the ACT heroin trials

The aim of this research is to analyse the reports of the proposed heroin maintenance trials in the Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.), in Melbourne print media during 1997. The proposal for trials of heroin-prescription to long-term users in the A.C.T. was based on extensive scientific research. The rejection of this proposal by Prime Minister Howard raised many questions. This study was designed to help understand what discourses and rhetorical devices were used in the reporting of heroin issues in the media and what part some sections of the media played in the government’s decision. Discourse analysis was conducted of newspaper articles from two major Melbourne newspapers, The Age and the Herald-Sun for the year 1997. All articles relating to heroin and drug-policy from the newspapers were included for analysis. Those in favour of the trials used predominantly health and social discourses. Those opposed used moral discourses supported with stereotypes, metaphors, emotive practices and ‘inaccuracies’. There were considerable differences in discourses presented by The Age and the Herald-Sun. This study demonstrates that opposition to the heroin trials relied on rhetorical strategies and sensationalistic arguments, rather than meaningful debate of scientific and social issues. Researchers should act to identify the stereotypes and metaphors used in the discourses surrounding an issue and act to disarm them.