Browsing by Author "Asch, Rachel"

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    The business case for equal opportunities : equality, equity and egalitarianism
    (Cranfield University, 2001-05) O'Malley, Siobhan; Asch, Rachel
    The research project reported in this thesis concerned the business case for equal opportunity in the workplace. The project comprised three distinct but related studies: 1. Study I was a qualitative investigation into which variables employees perceived to be associated with equal opportunity in the workplace. The over-arching fmding was that participants had a low awareness of equal opportunity and perceived general fairness (organisational egalitarianism) to be more important than equal opportunity per se. Job attitude outcome variables ofjob satisfaction, organisational commitment, intention to leave and perceived performance were proposed. 2. Study 2 qualitatively explored the issues associated with the business case for equal opportunity as perceived by equality practitioners. Results detailed perceptions of equal opportunity climate, employer motivations and the problems associated with translating equal opportunity policy into practice. 3. Study 3 sought to quantitatively measure the impact of equal opportunity and organisational egalitarianism on the job attitude outcome variables identified by studies I and 2. A questionnaire, the Social Atmosphere at Work Survey, was constructed and piloted to measure the perceived equal opportunity climate, the outcome variables and an individual difference construct, equity sensitivity. Results indicated that equal opportunity significantly contributed to job satisfaction, organisational commitment, intention to leave and perceived workgroup, effectiveness. Organisational egalitarianism however proved a stronger predictor of these outcome variables than perceived equal opportunity level, as suggested by the qualitative results. Equity sensitivity did not significantly moderate any of these relationships.
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    Career progression of black managers
    (Cranfield University, 2003-03) Horsford, Bernard I.; Asch, Rachel
    This research programme examined the factors that affect the career progression of Black managers in the United Kingdom. The research comprised two distinct but related studies. The first study was a qualitative investigation of the factors affecting the career progression of Black managers (n = 64). The main finding from the first study was that for some the achievement of high salaries and senior positions may be at the expense of one's positive Black racial identity attitudes and wellbeing. The second study was a quantitative examination of aspects revealed as important correlates of career success in study 1. Two hundred and sixty-one respondents (97 Black and 163 White respondents) across all major industry sectors participated. The results of the second study confirmed that Black managers were more disadvantaged than their White peers. The proposition that for some Black managers a "sell out" effect occurs was supported.
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    Developing Employee Counselling
    (Cranfield University, 1997-09) Upton, Dave; Asch, Rachel
    The research focused on the counselling service provided by a major national N-1 organisation. The main aim was identification of managerial mechanisms that might be instituted to facilitate the development of workplace counsellors.It comprised of three main studies which utilised both quantitative and qualitative methods. Over a period of eight months,corresponding quantitative data were collected after each new counselling session from six hundred and ninety-four clients and forty-six counsellors.In addition, qualitative data in the form of case notes were obtained from the counsellors, forty-three of whom also completed Levenson's (1981) Locus of Control questionnaire. In the first study,quantitative questionnaire data from both clients and counsellors were analysed in order to investigate discrepancies between the two groups that might identify a means of focus for managing the service. Statistical exploration of sociodemographic features that might be implicated as potentially confounding variables in the assessment of counselling effectiveness and client satisfaction was also undertaken, and the proposition that non-respondents perceive less benefit from the service was indirectly explored. A dditionally,the relationship between some of the Rogerian core qualities and client perceptions of benefit was investigated. In the second study,qualitative data from counsellor notes were examined in order to establish the type of notes produced and to consider ways in which counsellors might be encouraged to focus on counselling process rather than content. As a result an instrument was developed which provides a tool to facilitate counsellor development within a professional supervisory re lationship, inside or outside of the organisational context. The third study was designed to investigate counsellors' own locus of control and their perceptions of their clients' primary loci. Objectives of the study included comparison of the two measures and exploration of relationships between locus of control and other issues of interest to the research such as client perception of benefit from counselling, perceived use of Rogerian core variables and results on the process measure. The findings of the studies and their implications for counsellor development are fully discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.
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    The development and evaluation of an instrument to assess and develop the desirable attributes of RAF Airmen
    (2005-03) Johansen, Dawn; Asch, Rachel
    The research reported in this thesis related specifically to Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel. The primary aim of the work was to design an instrument to assess and develop the desirable attributes of airmen regardless of rank, trade-group or location. The work comprised three separate but integrated studies that culminated in the successful introduction of the tool to the Recruit Training Squadron (RTS). The first study consisted of a job analysis based on repertory grid technique with data elicited from 128 RAF personnel with experiences of line management of airmen. This stage of the research yielded 117 constructs from which twenty desirable attributes (each illustrated by observable behavioural examples) were generated. The second study was conducted to assess the content validity and generalisability of the list of twenty attributes identified from the first study. Thirty three officers and airmen, who represented all RAF ranks, considered the face validity of the list: ranked the twenty items in order of importance; and rated a ‘good5, ‘average’ and ‘poor’ airmen on each of the attribute items. The results of this study were used to develop the instrument for recruit assessment and development. The final study was designed to examine the reliability and validity of the tool for use at RTS. In this stage of the research, RTS instructors were trained in the use of the tool which they then trialled with four separate recruit groups. In trial recruits were assessed on the development tool on three occasions over seven weeks. At the end of the initial training period development scores were correlated with standard assessment measures. The correlations between development instrument scores and standard training measures were all statistically significant, with some associations being particularly strong.
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    The Intra-organisational power of the Personnel Department in Higher Education in the UK
    (Cranfield University, 2004-02) Farndale, Elaine; Hope-Hailey, Veronica; Asch, Rachel
    Personnel departments in general have a poor reputation for power and influence, although little is known empirically about their position in Higher Education institutions (HEI). There are various factors in the HEI context that suggest that the department should be important but not necessarily powerful. Therefore, by applying existing theory (strategic contingencies theory) to examine the determinants of power and the perceived level of power of the department, a more detailed view of the power of the Personnel department in Higher Education (HE) can be observed. The strategic contingencies theory model proves to be a reliable approach to apply in this context, and demonstrates clearly how the Personnel department is consistently rated lower than other administrative departments on the indicator variables. However, in order to go beyond the static picture of structural power sources sketched from strategic contingencies theory, institutional theory is drawn upon to try to understand how the current situation of low power has arisen. Particular elements of the institutionalised HEI context are explored to discover their effect on both the determinants and levels of power. These elements include the historical status of institutions, eth extent of professionalism in departments, and the sophistication of use of information systems in service delivery; all factors discussed in existing institutional theory arguments. Based on 144 questionnaire responses from a total of 73 HEIs across the UK, the quantitative analyses show differences in the power of Personnel departments in institutions with different historical characteristics, however professionalism and the use of information systems do not show clear relationships with power. Further qualitative data collection from seventeen interviews with HEI senior managers highlights how professionalism in the HEI context has a much broader definition than professional qualification and identity for the Personnel department. the use of information systems is also shown to be equally primitive across institutions in the current HEI context, preventing an evaluation of sophistication of use from yielding conclusive results.
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    Job satisfaction and commitment : a comparison of medical and legal careers
    (Cranfield University, 1999-09) Faricy, Anne; Asch, Rachel
    The research presented in this thesis sought to identify the key issues underlying the current recruitment and retention problems in general practice. Previous studies have tended to focus on medical careers in isolation, neglecting the wider context of professional careers in the non-medical workplace. In an attempt to untangle the effects of being in general practice from the effects of being in professional practice per se, medical professionals were compared with those in a parallel profession - law. Therefore the present research focused on identifying, and comparing, the career aspirations of doctors and lawyers. The work comprised two qualitative studies. Study 1 compared the values, beliefs and work perceptions of experienced doctors and lawyers, to establish similarities and differences between the two groups. Study 2 focused on the career expectations of both general and hospital trainees to allow comparisons between trainee groups, and between trainees and experienced practitioners. Participants totalled fifty nine for both studies. Data pertaining to the first study were analysed within the framework of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM). These findings subsequently determined the direction and shape of the second study. Problems in general practice related to a combination of organisational change, and doctors' reasons for their career choice. Whilst both lawyers and doctors have experienced aggressive government intervention, doctors seemed to have interpreted this as a violation of their relational psychological contract with the State. Moreover, many doctors appear to have chosen general practice for less than positive reasons. Findings according to the JCM showed general practice to be low in motivating potential, with experienced practitioners strongly resenting their diminishing professional autonomy. Trainee GPs appeared very similar to their predecessors, in terms of reasons for choosing general practice. Furthermore, they were overly optimistic regarding both the job's characteristics, and their ability to cope with potential difficulties. They were also less committed than their experienced counterparts. The data could offer few assurances of retention problems being eased by this new generation of GPs.
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    Life cycle changes and career development: an exploration of influences on career change decisions
    (Cranfield University, 1993-10) Sumner, Lesley; Asch, Rachel
    The purpose of this research was to identify factors which influence decisions concerning significant career moves among older workers and women returners. A questionnaire survey of older workers was conducted in order to elicit the salient attitudes to, experience of, and satisfaction with work of job changers and non-changers aged 50 years and over, employed within a nationwide retail organisation. Results were based on 228 questionnaires. Respondents ranged in age from 50 to 73 years, 54% were female, 46% male. Respondents demonstrated a significant increase in self-perception the perceived benefits of working far outweighed perceived difficulties. There were differences between men and women in the prompts to change employment and in salient attitudes to work. A questionnaire survey of women returners was conducted to explore items women considered when embarking on college courses, their experience of these same items while at college, and the relationship between the decision considerations and subjective well-being. The results of 336 questionnaires were analysed. Respondents ranged in age from 16 to 62 years. The expected benefits of attending college were given greater consideration than expected risks, confirming work by Janis and Mann (1977). Actual benefits and actual problems were overall the most useful predictors of college related well-being. There were differences between young and mature students, women with and without partners, and those with and without dependents in terms of items on the motivator for college attendance, expected benefit and risk and actual benefit and problem scales. The Warr Subjective Well Being (SWB) scale was shown to be a reliable measure of college related well-being. The wide age range and life experience of respondents in both studies confirms the utility of life event models of development and the desirability of developing a flexible person-centred counselling model for decision making.
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    Understanding human variability to improve manufacturing system design
    (Cranfield University, 2004) Fletcher, Sarah; Baines, Tim; Asch, Rachel
    The way in which a manufacturing system is designed is a crucial determinant of its operational efficiency and profitability. System design is, therefore, a major consideration for organisations. However, the efficacy of current system design techniques could be improved. Designers still do not often construct assembly line layouts that provide the high level of efficiency and flexibility that is required by today's highly competitive organisations. One aspect of system design processes that has been found particularly deficient is the way in which human labour is considered. Current system design practices tend to disregard that workers may vary as they perform production tasks and the impact that this may have on the assembly line. In particular, system designers appear to have little understanding of how production work may be affected by workers' personal attributes. The research presented in this thesis sought to identify the nature and impact of human work performance to inform design stage practices. In particular, the research aimed to establish the extent to which the personal attributes of workers influence variations in their performance of production tasks. The research involved parallel data collection studies in a real manufacturing system where workers' performance of production tasks and their personal attributes in respect of work-related attitudes were measured and analysed. Overall, this research did not nd evidence of relationships between the particular work- related attitudes and production task performance that were measured in the study. However, indications were found that suggest production task performance variations may be produced by interactions between task characteristics and workers personal attributes. This evidence is an important development in understanding worker behaviour and informing manufacturing system designers that their neglect of worker performance variation in design stage evaluations may be a major cause of current design weaknesses.