L’importance du rendement, du soutien des adultes, des attentes de réussite et de la valeur accordée aux mathématiques dans les choix de filières de formation préuniversitaire des étudiantes issues des séquences de mathématiques enrichies

La présente étude s’intéresse aux choix de filières de formation des filles comparées aux garçons. La présence des filles dans les filières de formation dans le domaine des sciences, de la technologie, du génie et de la mathématique (STGM) est moins importante que celle des garçons. Ce fait est documenté dans la plupart des pays industrialisés (OCDE, 2013). Les décideurs sont préoccupés par cette sous-représentation des filles et des femmes dans ces domaines et s’affairent à comprendre le phénomène, dans le but d’agir pour changer la situation (Drouin et al., 2008; MCCCF, 2011). Or, les facteurs d’influence pour expliquer cet écart entre les garçons et les filles sont nombreux et ne font pas l’objet d’un consensus dans la littérature (Ceci et al., 2009). Toutefois, plusieurs s’entendent pour dire que les mathématiques, importantes dans les profils de formation en STGM, et la façon dont les filles les perçoivent pourraient expliquer, en partie, leurs choix (Rowan-Kenyon et al., 2012 et Wang et al., 2013). Ces auteurs ont aussi suggéré que le contexte social et les croyances des filles au sujet des mathématiques seraient déterminants dans le processus de choix impliquant cette discipline. Un modèle théorique sociocognitif, inspiré par les travaux de Lent et al, (1994-2006), expliquant le processus de choix scolaires et professionnels a permis de conceptualiser les liens entre les déterminants socio-motivationnels spécifiques aux mathématiques. L’objectif général de la présente étude était de mieux documenter l’importance des mathématiques dans les choix de filières de formation menant aux carrières en STGM. Spécifiquement, nous avons examiné les relations entre le rendement en mathématiques, la perception des élèves quant au contexte social (soutien des parents et enseignants), leurs attentes de réussite, la valeur qu’ils accordent aux mathématiques (sentiment d’autoefficacité, anxiété, perception de l’utilité et intérêt) et les choix de filières de formation générale après leur secondaire (sciences humaines sans mathématiques, sciences humaines avec mathématiques, sciences de la santé et sciences pures). Nous avons exploré les distinctions entre les filles et les garçons. Pour ce faire, 1129 élèves finissants ont été questionnés au sujet de leurs motivations en mathématiques et de leurs intentions de formation post-secondaire. Par la suite, une comparaison entre les 583 filles et les 543 garçons a été réalisée par des analyses de régression logistiques multinomiales. Les résultats montrent que plusieurs déterminants permettent de dégager des similitudes et des différences quant aux choix de filières de formation des filles et des garçons. D’abord, il semble que pour la plupart des élèves, filles ou garçons, un rendement élevé et un important soutien des enseignants tel que perçu par les élèves à la fin du secondaire est davantage lié aux choix de filières en sciences pures et en sciences de la santé qu’en sciences humaines avec ou sans mathématiques. Toutefois, le soutien des parents perçu est plus déterminant pour les filles qui choisissent les sciences de la santé que pour les garçons. Le soutien des enseignants perçu est plus déterminant pour les garçons qui choisissent les sciences humaines que pour les filles. Aussi, un faible sentiment d’autoefficacité en mathématiques serait associé au choix de filières en sciences humaines, alors qu’une forte anxiété en mathématiques chez les filles serait associée aux filières en sciences de la santé. Pour les garçons, c’est davantage l’intérêt en mathématiques qui est déterminant pour choisir la filière des sciences pures. La perception de l’utilité des mathématiques est déterminante à la fois pour les garçons et pour les filles qui choisissent les filières de sciences les menant à des carrières en STGM. En somme, nos résultats suggèrent que le soutien en mathématiques de la part des adultes significatifs, tel que perçu par les élèves, est moins prépondérant que les attentes de réussite (sentiment d’autoefficacité et anxiété) et la valeur accordée aux mathématiques (intérêt et utilité perçue) pour comparer les garçons et les filles dans leurs choix de filières. À la lumière des résultats obtenus, il nous semble que l’implantation de mesures, dans les milieux scolaires, pour renforcer le sentiment d’autoefficacité des jeunes filles en mathématiques et surtout pour diminuer leur taux d’anxiété dans cette matière serait une voie prometteuse pour atteindre la parité entre les garçons et les filles dans les filières en STGM.

Leaders and their treatment of subgroups: implications for evaluations of the leader and the superordinate group

This experiment examined members' evaluations of a group leader and the group in contexts where a superordinate group comprised two subgroups and the group leader was aligned with one or other subgroup. The design varied group leader (ingroup, outgroup) and leader behavior (ingroup favoring, outgroup favoring) as well as the broader comparative context (intragroup, intergroup). Across a number of measures, results indicated a consistent Group Leader x Leader Behavior interaction that was independent of comparative context. Although group members were most satisfied with an ingroup leader who favored the ingroup, ingroup leaders were perceived positively irrespective of their behavior Outgroup leaders who unexpectedly favored the other subgroup were also perceived positively. However, outgroup leaders who favored their own subgroup were perceived as less fair and as more biased than other leaders. They also engendered less identification with the superordinate group and a less unified perception of the group. Results demonstrate the importance of social identity concerns to leadership in nested group contexts and emphasize the fact that perceptions of leader fairness and concern for the common group mediate responses to the superordinate category. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Is modern medicine at risk of losing the plot?

Contemporary medicine has much to its credit, but has created an insatiable demand for new technologies and more health services, fed by commercial promotion, professional advocacy and sociopolitical pressure. Total health expenditure at the national level is now almost 10% of gross domestic product and is expected to top 16% by 2020. After recent inquiries into the failings of its public health system, the Queensland Government has committed itself to a 25% increase in expenditure on health over the next 5 years. But will it lead to better population health, and is it sustainable? The return-on-investment curve for modern health care may be flattening out, in an environment of growing numbers of older patients with chronic illnesses, maldistribution of services and hospital overcrowding. A change in thinking is required if current medical practice is to avoid imploding when confronted with the next major economic downturn. Health policy, service funding and clinical training must focus on critical appraisal of the effectiveness of health care technologies and the structure and financing of health care systems. Practising clinicians will be obliged to provide leadership in determining value for money in the choice of health care for specific patient populations and how that care is delivered.

The changing nature and role of the head of department

There is little doubt that devolution of responsibility to schools and the growth of school-based management have impacted upon the role and workload of school leaders. Not only Principals have been affected by these changes as Welch (1996) argues that Principals of public secondary schools have passed responsibility down to Deputy-principals and to Heads of Department. As such, the Head of Department role, like other school administration positions, has undergone significant change. Of interest to this paper is the changing role of Heads of Department in secondary schools. This study reports on the findings of semi-structured interviews with eight Heads of Department from four public secondary schools and Principals from each of these schools in South East Queensland. Four years after the first set of interviews, two heads of department were reinterviewed. Both sets of interviews focused upon the role, change, and the importance of leadership. The research generated eight specific themes each of which was considered consistent with the nature of the role in a period of significant cultural change. These were the difference in perceptions regarding the Head of Department role, held by Principals and Heads of Department; Head of Department leadership in terms of a curriculum framed department or whole school leadership; how individuals perceived leadership, and how they learned of leadership; the impact of the changing culture upon the individual Head of Department; the growing influence of situational factors upon the role; the impact of managerialism; the changing nature of a secondary school department; and a growing and more complex workload, and the need for different skills. Furthermore, the findings pointed towards the need for effective change processes and a reconceptualized head of department role. The paper concludes with some implications for the ongoing professional development needs of Heads of Department.

A RENÚNCIA SEXUAL PELO REINO: A IMPORTÂNCIA DA RENÚNCIA SEXUAL PARA A LIDERANÇA DA MULHER EM ATOS DE PAULO E TECLA

O propósito desta pesquisa é analisar a obra os Atos de Paulo e Tecla, focando na importância da renúncia sexual para a liderança da mulher. Tema este que se tornou fundamental para que as mulheres conseguissem conquistar seu espaço e poder diante da sociedade e assim conseguir fazer com que sua voz fosse ouvida, mesmo que de forma não tão considerável. Ao examinar os Apócrifos Atos de Paulo e Tecla, pôde-se observar suas principais características e composição, apresentando sua origem e interpretação pelas comunidades e pelos líderes do início do cristianismo. Buscou-se nesta pesquisa retratar e fundamentar o romance grego, apresentando suas similaridades com os Atos de Paulo e Tecla, e desta maneira destacar a influência do escrito grego sobre o texto apócrifo em sua forma de estruturação. Apresentamos as definições sobre a renúncia sexual, liderança e martírio sempre destacando os temas com a figura da mulher, abordando a questão do corpo e a sociedade e demonstrando como estes temas inspiraram os discursos no início do cristianismo. Referente aos escritos dos Atos Apócrifos, apresentamos a origem das comunidades de mulheres celibatárias, que influenciaram a escrita dos textos, relatando o motivo pelo qual os Atos foram escritos e como foram disseminados nas outras comunidades. Sobre o martírio, descrevemos suas origens e como os cristãos viam nessa ação uma aproximação com Deus, e como o martírio preparou a vida de Tecla para que ela se tornasse uma anunciante da palavra de Deus.

UMA ECOLOGIA REFÉM DO PODER ECONÔMICO: Leitura exegética sócio-econômica de Deuteronômio 5,12-15

Com esse trabalho, visamos discutir a tentativa de estabelecer um equilíbrio entre o ser humano e natureza na área rural de Judá, pouco antes do reinado de Josias (640-609 a.C.). Nesse caso, pode-se perguntar: seria o mandamento de Deuteronômio 5,12-15 um discurso ecológico? A partir dos estudos de Frank Crüsemann e Haroldo Reimer se admite que partes das leis veterotestamentárias eram destinadas ao assim chamado grupo povo da terra de Judá, visando à manutenção de seu poder. O grupo teria assumido a liderança em Judá mediante um golpe político e, articulando-se, desde então, numa política de aliança para se conservar no poder, mesmo não o assumindo diretamente. Nesse contexto de política de alianças deve-se procurar a implementação do mandamento de Deuteronômio 5,12-15. Ele teria sido escrito por anciãos, um grupo junto ao qual o povo da terra teria se aliado para que ordenassem sentenças jurídicas para a acomodação social. Nesse caso, inicialmente o portão da cidade, espaço oficial para discussões, reclamações e propostas de intermediações, deve ter sido o lugar de elaboração de sentenças jurídicas sobre a utilização de técnicas na agricultura. Sendo elas posteriormente levadas ao tribunal do templo para passar pelas mãos dos sacerdotes, outro braço da coalizão. O uso dos animais de porte, cujo peso prejudicava as pequenas propriedades de terra de Judá, deve ter sido um motivo de incessantes conflitos entre pequenos e grandes proprietários de terra. Ressaltamos assim que apenas os homens mais abastados de Judá tinham acesso a esses animais. Esta solução, segundo se entende, liga o rodízio de culturas ao descanso do campo pertencente ao povo da terra de Judá. Liga-se o termo sábado com a vida da elite rural judaíta do período do reinado de Josias. Uma saída encontrada pelas elites de Judá, a qual nos leva a ponderar uma situação similar que ocorre na América Latina, diante da globalização. Se o texto Deuteronômio 5,12-15 é uma ponderação das elites hegemônicas de Judá que buscam o equilíbrio entre ser o humano e a natureza (ecologia), o discurso ecológico contemporâneo poderá ter neste texto um importante interlocutor. Esse discurso pode ocultar interesses econômicos, completamente diferentes, pois se trata de uma estratégia dominadora e não libertadora, objetivando-se, sobretudo, a reprodução social. O Brasil e os demais países da América Latina vêm sofrendo, há algum tempo, com essa distância entre a elite e o resto da sociedade. Nossas elites utilizam-se, há tempos, do discurso ecológico para se manterem no poder dessas sociedades. Por exemplo, vemos nos noticiários uma quantidade de programas e manchetes ligadas à destruição da natureza. Isso é interessante porque, após terem eles mesmo destruído a natureza, passam agora a defendê-la; controlando as reservas naturais, garantindo sua produtividade e seu status quo no sistema econômico atual.(AU)

MARIA MADALENA E AS MULHERES NO CRISTIANISMO PRIMITIVO

O objetivo deste trabalho é pesquisar a liderança das mulheres no cristianismo primitivo, a partir da figura de Maria Madalena em Jo 20,1-18. A abordagem exegética, bem como a pesquisa sobre a situação das mulheres no primeiro século, aponta: a) as mulheres que seguiam a Jesus faziam parte do grupo dos discípulos, e Maria Madalena tinha uma grande influência entre eles na comunidade; b) ela acompanhou Jesus desde o início do seu ministério na Galiléia, e a sua liderança e autoridade no cristianismo primitivo lhe confere o status de discípula; c) a perícope estudada tem como contexto um conflito de lideranças entre três tradições: a joanina, a petrina e a de Maria Madalena. Comparando a perícope joanina com alguns escritos gnósticos percebemos que nesses escritos, a liderança de Maria Madalena é manifestada com maior intensidade e o conflito com Pedro é mais acentuado. Ela é considerada Mestra dos discípulos. A pesquisa não só resgata a figura de uma líder do cristianismo, como também mostra, na exegese, o processo de cooptação da liderança feminina.(AU)

UMA ANÁLISE SOCIOLÓGICA DA FORMAÇÃO DE LIDERANÇA ENTRE OS ESTUDANTES NA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA

Dois temas chaves da sociologia da educação são: a constituição de grupos sociais dentro da sala de aula e a emergência de lideranças dentro desse espaço. Muitos trabalhos aludem ao papel do professor como líder institucional. Nessa pesquisa, procuramos abordar o tema igualmente importante da formação de liderança, entre os educandos, com propósito de analisar a posição da instituição, diante da formação de lideranças entre os educandos neste processo. Para concretizar esta investigação, de natureza qualitativa, consultamos bibliografias e selecionamos alguns autores para trabalharmos como referência básica, leituras de documentos das instituições escolares como Estatutos, Projeto Político Pedagógico e Regimento Interno, entrevistas, observação em salas de aulas e análises destes. Segundo alguns responsáveis pela formação do educando, há uma classificação entre a liderança do educando em dois tipos: uma negativa e a outra positiva. Com essa investigação, observamos que as instituições de ensino também contribuem com a ideologia dominante na realização seletiva dos que terão postos dirigentes e dos que terão postos subalternos na sociedade, com algumas exceções

GESTÃO DO CONHECIMENTO: UM ESTUDO SOBRE A RELAÇÃO ENTRE A LIDERANÇA TRANSFORMACIONAL, A CONVERSÃO DO CONHECIMENTO E A EFICÁCIA ORGANIZACIONAL

Este estudo teve como objetivo principal analisar a relação entre a Liderança Transformacional, a Conversão do Conhecimento e a Eficácia Organizacional. Foram considerados como pressupostos teóricos conceitos consolidados sobre os temas desta relação, além de recentes pesquisas já realizadas em outros países e contextos organizacionais. Com base nisto identificou-se potencial estudo de um modelo que relacionasse estes três conceitos. Para tal considera-se que as organizações que buscam atingir Vantagem Competitiva e incorporam a Knowledge-Based View possam conquistar diferenciação frente a seus concorrentes. Nesse contexto o conhecimento ganha maior destaque e papel protagonista nestas organizações. Dessa forma criar conhecimento através de seus colaboradores, passa a ser um dos desafios dessas organizações ao passo que sugere melhoria de seus indicadores Econômicos, Sociais, Sistêmicos e Políticos, o que se define por Eficácia Organizacional. Portanto os modos de conversão do conhecimento nas organizações, demonstram relevância, uma vez que se cria e se converte conhecimentos através da interação entre o conhecimento existente de seus colaboradores. Essa conversão do conhecimento ou modelo SECI possui quatro modos que são a Socialização, Externalização, Combinação e Internalização. Nessa perspectiva a liderança nas organizações apresenta-se como um elemento capaz de influenciar seus colaboradores, propiciando maior dinâmica ao modelo SECI de conversão do conhecimento. Se identifica então na liderança do tipo Transformacional, características que possam influenciar colaboradores e entende-se que esta relação entre a Liderança Transformacional e a Conversão do Conhecimento possa ter influência positiva nos indicadores da Eficácia Organizacional. Dessa forma esta pesquisa buscou analisar um modelo que explorasse essa relação entre a liderança do tipo Transformacional, a Conversão do Conhecimento (SECI) e a Eficácia Organizacional. Esta pesquisa teve o caráter quantitativo com coleta de dados através do método survey, obtendo um total de 230 respondentes válidos de diferentes organizações. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi composto por afirmativas relativas ao modelo de relação pesquisado com um total de 44 itens. O perfil de respondentes concentrou-se entre 30 e 39 anos de idade, com a predominância de organizações privadas e de departamentos de TI/Telecom, Docência e Recursos Humanos respectivamente. O tratamento dos dados foi através da Análise Fatorial Exploratória e Modelagem de Equações Estruturais via Partial Least Square Path Modeling (PLS-PM). Como resultado da análise desta pesquisa, as hipóteses puderam ser confirmadas, concluindo que a Liderança Transformacional apresenta influência positiva nos modos de Conversão do Conhecimento e que; a Conversão do Conhecimento influencia positivamente na Eficácia Organizacional. Ainda, concluiu-se que a percepção entre os respondentes não apresenta resultado diferente sobre o modelo desta pesquisa entre quem possui ou não função de liderança.

Editorial

On behalf of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan and the editorial team, I am pleased to welcome readers to this, the first issue of Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP). The aim of KMRP is to provide an outlet for rigorous, high-quality, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of managing knowledge, organisational learning, intellectual capital and knowledge economics. The Editorial Board intends that there be a particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary approaches, and on the mixing of 'hard' (e.g. technological) and 'soft' (e.g. cultural or motivational) issues. This issue features four regular papers and an editorial paper; in addition, there are two book reviews. KMRP is intended as a truly international journal. The papers in this issue feature authors based in five different countries on three continents; eight different countries and four continents if the editorial paper is included. The first of the regular papers is 'The Knowledge-Creating Theory Revisited: Knowledge Creation as Synthesizing Process', by Ikujiro Nonaka and Ryoko Toyama. There can be few readers who are unaware of the work on knowledge creation by Nonaka and his co-workers such as Takeuchi, and this paper seeks to revisit and extend some of the earlier ideas. The second paper is 'Knowledge Sharing in a Multi-Cultural Setting: A Case Study' by Dianne Ford and Yolande Chan. They present a case study that explores the extent to which knowledge sharing is dependent on national culture. The third paper is 'R&D Collaboration: The Role of bain Knowledge-creating Networks' by Malin Brännback. She also draws upon Nonaka and Takeuchi's work on knowledge creation, using the case of knowledge-creating networks in biopharmaceutical R&D involving both universities and industry as an example. The fourth regular paper is 'The Critical Role of Leadership in Nurturing a Knowledge Supporting Culture' by Vincent Ribière and Alea Saa Sitar. They examine the role of leaders in knowledge management generally, and especially in knowledge organisations, from the viewpoint of 'leading through a knowledge lens'. In addition, this issue includes an 'editorial paper', 'Knowledge Management Research & Practice: Visions and Directions' by the editorial team of John Edwards, Meliha Handzic, Sven Carlsson, and Mark Nissen. This paper presents a small survey of academics and practitioners, outlines key directions for knowledge management research and practice, and gives the editorial team's views on how KMRP can help promote scholarly inquiry in the field. We trust that you will both enjoy reading this first issue and be stimulated by it, and cordially invite you to contribute your own paper(s) to future issues of KMRP.

Social network theory and the sales manager role:engineering the right relationship flows

Sales leadership research has typically taken a leader-focused approach, investigating key questions from a top-down perspective. Yet considerable research outside sales has advocated a view of leadership that takes into account the fact that employees look beyond a single designated individual for leadership. In particular, the social networks of leaders have been a popular topic of investigation in the management literature, although coverage in the sales literature remains rare. The present paper conceptualizes the sales leadership role as one in which the leader must manage a network of simultaneous relationships; several types of sales manager relationships, such as the sales-manager-to-top-manager and the sales-manager-to-sales manager relationships, have received limited attention in the sales literature to date. Taking an approach based on social network theory, we develop a conceptualization of the sales manager as a "network engineer," who must manage multiple relationships, and the flows between them. Drawing from this model, we propose a detailed agenda for future sales research. © 2012 PSE National Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.

Carpe diem - HRM led CSR

This paper explores the relationship in theory and practice between strategic HRM on the one hand and the growing interest in business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the other and calls for the HRM profession to provide inspirational leadership in the area of CSR. A multidisciplinary approach is taken to highlight the range of theoretical contributions relevant to this debate. This paper puts forward a number of arguments as to why HR professionals should seize the opportunity to be the natural leaders of CSR.

What can situated learning theory tell us about leading to develop organizational learning capabilities for entrepreneurial performance? lessons from a knowledge-intensive small firm

Although the role of strategic leadership in developing organizational learning capabilities has been examined to a certain extent, the specific behaviors and mechanisms through which these capabilities are developed have not been adequately understood. Paucity of research in this direction is even more conspicuous in a small firm/entrepreneurship context, which has been linked to innovation, economic growth, and employment generation. Reporting on an ethnographic study of a knowledge-intensive, growth-oriented small firm, this article addresses this gap in the literature by integrating strategic leadership and organizational learning theory in an entrepreneurship context. In this undertaking, situated learning theory is used as the major analytical lens, to shed light on how strategic leadership can build organizational learning capabilities that underpin entrepreneurial performance in small firms. Finally, implications for situated learning theory as an organizational learning perspective and leadership practice in an entrepreneurship context are submitted. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How are task reflexivity and intercultural sensitivity related to the academic performance of MBA students?

Higher education in business school environments is increasingly focused on how to best equip students with the skills necessary for leadership in the global workplace. This paper examines the impact of two particularly important cognitive capabilities - task reflexivity and intercultural sensitivity, on academic performance in an MBA programme. It was hypothesised that in an intercultural learning environment, task reflexivity would be associated with higher academic performance, and that this relationship would be mediated via intercultural sensitivity. Questionnaire data from 77 MBA students was analysed alongside academic performance. Results demonstrated that task reflexivity was indirectly related to academic performance through intercultural sensitivity. These findings suggest that engagement in task reflexivity enables students to develop greater levels of intercultural sensitivity, allowing them to reap the positive effects of diversity in their peer group for their own learning and performance. Limitations and practical implications of the research for professional practice are discussed. © 2014 © 2014 Society for Research into Higher Education.

Towards a multilevel model of the high performance work systems–workplace safety relationship

Human Resource (HR) systems and practices generally referred to as High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs), (Huselid, 1995) (sometimes termed High Commitment Work Practices or High Involvement Work Practices) have attracted much research attention in past decades. Although many conceptualizations of the construct have been proposed, there is general agreement that HPWPs encompass a bundle or set of HR practices including sophisticated staffing, intensive training and development, incentive-based compensation, performance management, initiatives aimed at increasing employee participation and involvement, job safety and security, and work design (e.g. Pfeffer, 1998). It is argued that these practices either directly and indirectly influence the extent to which employees’ knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics are utilized in the organization. Research spanning nearly 20 years has provided considerable empirical evidence for relationships between HPWPs and various measures of performance including increased productivity, improved customer service, and reduced turnover (e.g. Guthrie, 2001; Belt & Giles, 2009). With the exception of a few papers (e.g., Laursen &Foss, 2003), this literature appears to lack focus on how HPWPs influence or foster more innovative-related attitudes and behaviours, extra role behaviors, and performance. This situation exists despite the vast evidence demonstrating the importance of innovation, proactivity, and creativity in its various forms to individual, group, and organizational performance outcomes. Several pertinent issues arise when considering HPWPs and their relationship to innovation and performance outcomes. At a broad level is the issue of which HPWPs are related to which innovation-related variables. Another issue not well identified in research relates to employees’ perceptions of HPWPs: does an employee actually perceive the HPWP –outcomes relationship? No matter how well HPWPs are designed, if they are not perceived and experienced by employees to be effective or worthwhile then their likely success in achieving positive outcomes is limited. At another level, research needs to consider the mechanisms through which HPWPs influence –innovation and performance. The research question here relates to what possible mediating variables are important to the success or failure of HPWPs in impacting innovative behaviours and attitudes and what are the potential process considerations? These questions call for theory refinement and the development of more comprehensive models of the HPWP-innovation/performance relationship that include intermediate linkages and boundary conditions (Ferris, Hochwarter, Buckley, Harrell-Cook, & Frink, 1999). While there are many calls for this type of research to be made a high priority, to date, researchers have made few inroads into answering these questions. This symposium brings together researchers from Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa to examine these various questions relating to the HPWP-innovation-performance relationship. Each paper discusses a HPWP and potential variables that can facilitate or hinder the effects of these practices on innovation- and performance- related outcomes. The first paper by Johnston and Becker explores the HPWPs in relation to work design in a disaster response organization that shifts quickly from business as usual to rapid response. The researchers examine how the enactment of the organizational response is devolved to groups and individuals. Moreover, they assess motivational characteristics that exist in dual work designs (normal operations and periods of disaster activation) and the implications for innovation. The second paper by Jørgensen reports the results of an investigation into training and development practices and innovative work behaviors (IWBs) in Danish organizations. Research on how to design and implement training and development initiatives to support IWBs and innovation in general is surprisingly scant and often vague. This research investigates the mechanisms by which training and development initiatives influence employee behaviors associated with innovation, and provides insights into how training and development can be used effectively by firms to attract and retain valuable human capital in knowledge-intensive firms. The next two papers in this symposium consider the role of employee perceptions of HPWPs and their relationships to innovation-related variables and performance. First, Bish and Newton examine perceptions of the characteristics and awareness of occupational health and safety (OHS) practices and their relationship to individual level adaptability and proactivity in an Australian public service organization. The authors explore the role of perceived supportive and visionary leadership and its impact on the OHS policy-adaptability/proactivity relationship. The study highlights the positive main effects of awareness and characteristics of OHS polices, and supportive and visionary leadership on individual adaptability and proactivity. It also highlights the important moderating effects of leadership in the OHS policy-adaptability/proactivity relationship. Okhawere and Davis present a conceptual model developed for a Nigerian study in the safety-critical oil and gas industry that takes a multi-level approach to the HPWP-safety relationship. Adopting a social exchange perspective, they propose that at the organizational level, organizational climate for safety mediates the relationship between enacted HPWS’s and organizational safety performance (prescribed and extra role performance). At the individual level, the experience of HPWP impacts on individual behaviors and attitudes in organizations, here operationalized as safety knowledge, skills and motivation, and these influence individual safety performance. However these latter relationships are moderated by organizational climate for safety. A positive organizational climate for safety strengthens the relationship between individual safety behaviors and attitudes and individual-level safety performance, therefore suggesting a cross-level boundary condition. The model includes both safety performance (behaviors) and organizational level safety outcomes, operationalized as accidents, injuries, and fatalities. The final paper of this symposium by Zhang and Liu explores leader development and relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity and innovation in China. The authors further develop a model that incorporates the effects of extrinsic motivation (pay for performance: PFP) and employee collectivism in the leader-employee creativity relationship. The papers’ contributions include the incorporation of a PFP effect on creativity as moderator, rather than predictor in most studies; the exploration of the PFP effect from both fairness and strength perspectives; the advancement of knowledge on the impact of collectivism on the leader- employee creativity link. Last, this is the first study to examine three-way interactional effects among leader-member exchange (LMX), PFP and collectivism, thus, enriches our understanding of promoting employee creativity. In conclusion, this symposium draws upon the findings of four empirical studies and one conceptual study to provide an insight into understanding how different variables facilitate or potentially hinder the influence various HPWPs on innovation and performance. We will propose a number of questions for further consideration and discussion. The symposium will address the Conference Theme of ‘Capitalism in Question' by highlighting how HPWPs can promote financial health and performance of organizations while maintaining a high level of regard and respect for employees and organizational stakeholders. Furthermore, the focus on different countries and cultures explores the overall research question in relation to different modes or stages of development of capitalism.