The Democratization Of Work Management Essay

The Democratization Of Work Management Essay The topic of the labour education and its relevance in organizational strategies and business ideals offers a deep foray of discussion on the achievement of leadership and managerial objectives. This topic encourages an ongoing inquiry into one of the key leverage of our current HRM recognized as employee development schemes. This assignment begins with a brief discussion of employee empowerment as popular organizational initiative and the unions perspective on employee development schemes. I will provide a snapshot description of labour education and workers empowerment and its objective of combining education as a managements approach to workers empowerment. Empowerment Today, the conventional bureaucratic management approaches are no longer efficient. Empowerment of workers is one of management strategy applied today by corporations in reaction to the need for change. However, empowerment is centered on a series of hypothesis that are in disparity to those usually made by managers. Empowerment jeopardizes managers power over workers in three directions: downward, inward, and outward (Foegen, 1998). Downward loss of control can be discerned by the delegation of decision making to front-line staff. Many managers, most of which have more training and education than line employees, consider delegating decisions to a less qualified-person is not rational. They deem they are the most competent to make these judgments and they are the only ones that should make them (Foegen, 1998). Empowered workers are thought to have ownership of their work process and a commitment to its continuous development. This implies that empowerment can allow employers to improve performance by allowing staff to make decisions about their work environment by allowing workers more freedom and autonomy. Wilkinson (1998) argues that employee empowerment is a managerially led inventiveness: Unlike industrial democracy there is no notion of workers having a right to a say: it is employers who decide whether and how to empower employees. While there is a wide range of programs and initiatives which are titled empowerment and they vary as to the extent of power which employees actually exercise, most are purposefully designed not to give workers a very significant role in decision making but rather to secure an enhanced employee contribution to the organisation. Empowerment takes place within the context of a strict management agenda. (p. 40) Wilkinson (1998) thus implies that empowerment is consequently a managerially controlled event working at a workbased rather than a strategic level within the business. Honold (1997) supports this notion by considering empowerment as control of ones work, autonomy on the job, variations of teamwork, and pay systems that link pay with performance (p. 202). Businesses can build an empowered environment if they provide employees information, power, resources, and training, and consistent follow-up with recognition and corroboration. However, empowering employees is an incessant course of action. Companies that take the first step by encouraging an environment of empowerment are expected to be the industrys leaders. Trade unions and learning rhetoric Over the last two decades, the existing rhetoric surrounding workplace learning, teamwork, and the learning organization within the agenda of promoting a knowledge economy has had an impact on trade union membership and union power in the US and UK (Bratton et al., 2004). Labels, such as shared ownership (Senge, 1990, p. 13), engagement (quoted in Schwind et al., 2007 p. 471) and owner of the business (ibid, 2007) all in the premise of globalization and improved production are often eluded to marginalize unions (Bratton et al., 2004). We need to keep in mind that workplace learning is about workers learning to develop into a more proficient and accommodating human resource (Spencer, 1994) and should be examined through an exploitative viewpoint of the human capital theory. In many cases, workers are directed to accept the suggestion that there are no permanent jobs and to adhere to flexibility, cuts in their wages and benefits (Bratton et al., 2004). Today, the labour movement is oft en silenced and manipulated under the pretext of workers being labeled by companies as partners and associate partnership agreements (Bratton et al, 2004) emphasizing employer rights, including in some cases, refuting the right to democratically decide their own union steward (Wray, 2001). Some companies are also discouraging workers away from unionization and to constrain workers to company objectives  [1]  . It has been argued by Robertson and his colleagues that many workers still find unionism an effective way to democratize the workplace and to guarantee a collective voice, and avenue to equality, and economic security (1989). A number of unions, notably the International Steelworkers of America, have embraced workers interest in workplace learning and have encouraged participatory practices (Bratton et al, 2004 p. 127). On the other hand, Wells (1993) claims that unions and HRM policies are in conflict, because of the imbalance of power between management and workers and that employees can only achieve equal power through their collective representation. According to Wells, unions make workplace democracy work better (1993). Unions provide a challenge to the total power of management and ensure workers have a say in workplace decisions that affect them throug h collective representation (Well, 1993). Evidence attained from union involvement have confirmed the problematic nature of workplace learning initiatives and with this in mind, have initiated their own unique workplace learning programs. Union based education Education and training is offered to their members and representatives to prepare workers to take a more active role in the union. In some cases, unions have developed complete training programs and have partnered with schools, such as McMaster University, to include labour education and vocation training opportunities for their union members (cited in Bratton et al. 2004 p. 108). Labour education has also varied over time, but the final outcome is still the same to effectively change the process in labour-management relations (ibid. p. 111). In their paper, Canadian labour education and PLAR at the turn of the century, the authors, Spencer, Britton and Gereluk provided exemplary examples of labour education courses offered by and for unions (2000). The choices of courses offered by these unions are diverse but most evolve around the particular structure of the shop stewards function. These courses are the tools needed to understand the legal framework of trade unions. A good deal of the critical literature also alleges that there is a contradiction between the new HRM ideals and the trade unions with their traditional industrial relations and collective bargaining. Godard (1994) argues that the main motivation for managers to accept the progressive HRM processes is to shun or lessen trade union control. Nonetheless, he does admit that it would also be a mistake to view progressive practices as motivated solely or even primarily by this objective (1994, p. 155). Other critics have advocated that trade unions should embrace change by harmonizing the same aspects of the soft HRM model. Such a union approach would promote a partnership between businesses and organized labour which would transpire into a high-performance environment with common benefits for both the workers and the organization (Betcherman et al., 1994; Guest, 1995; Verma, 1995). What is apparent from this HRM viewpoint is that this perspective has a strong political and legal agenda r eflecting the decline in union participation and influence in the US and UK over the last decade. Never has it been more important for unions to establish their legitimacy and their own distinctive workplace learning programs. I was directly involved with a three month labour education program with my local union OPSEU. I was introduced to trade unionism, labour policy and social justice issues. It provided me with critical approaches to current issues and it reinforced my idea that strong unions makes a strong company. I accept the conflicting nature of the working-class unionism born out of hard struggles between capital and labour and their logical acceptance that capitalism as the only system in todays world. But I also contend that active unionism may provide the best chance to democratize the corporate workplace. Professor Hugh Glegg (1960) makes a revealing comment, that collective bargaining through trade unions or joint regulation is industrial democracy. Employee Development Schemes Employee development is now, more than ever, a key issue within the HRM paradigm. Against a background populated with concepts such as the learning organization and lifelong learning employers have been encouraged to capitalize on the learning potential of their employees, by encouraging learning activities. Research advocates that this style of non-vocational or non job-specific employee development pursuit has an array of benefits for both employer and employee (Industrial Society, 1996). Ever since Ford initiated their revolutionary EDAP scheme in 1987, employee development schemes have progressed and expanded to the level where the term can now include a wide mixture of development ideas. To enhance the companys industrial relations, the union and management initiated an interactive learning delivery intranet system called Solstra  [2]  . This avenue presented a means of packaging learning on an intranet. The system also overseen the progress of learners, kept records of asse ssments and modules completed, and would routinely renew individual records of training and skills profiles. Within 6 months, 15,000 employees, depicting one-third of personnel, utilized the program (Mortimer, 1990). The Ford EDAP scheme attained an involvement rate of over 50 per cent in three years into its existence (Holden, 1996). The literature suggests that although the initial option made by employees pertaining to the type of learning was entirely non-vocational, later choices were inclined to shift in a more vocational direction (Holden, 1996). It is noteworthy that several case studies of EDS have noticed IT/computer skills courses to be one of the trendiest choices (Donaldson, 1993, 1996). Overall, the data suggests that the development of employees allows them to yield a more considerable input to the achievement of business objectives. A highly skilled and flexible workforce can give the competitive advantage necessary for success. The evidence would appear to suggest that many workers enroll to take part in an EDS to attain new skills to develop job prospects, continuing a personal leisure activity, or simply general self- development or accomplishment (Industrial Society, 1996). A helpful result frequently reported by participants is an improvement in their confidence, both in their capacity to learn and in themselves (Policy Studies Institute, 1993). This seems mainly to be the experience of workers with no prior training and who are more likely to have negative recollections of their educational experience. Many bodies of literature are littered with illustrations of individuals for whom partaking in their companys EDS has been a radical experience. The literature also proposes that employees may be more receptive to work-related training (Maguire Horrocks, 1995). It also bode well for companies whose goal is to build a culture of learning within the company. Research findings also implies that the provision of work and non-work related training makes workers feel more committed, empowered and appreciated (HOST, 1998). This is particularly true of junior level staff whose earlier experience of training was in-house and job-specific (Arulampalam, 1997). Employers presently perceive enhanced learning skills and a flexible workforce as the most advantageous results of an EDS (Maurer Tarulli 1994). Another theme in which conclusive results has been recounted by EDS members is that of motivation at work (Maurer Tarulli 1994). It is hardly surprising, given that improved employee motivatio n is often mentioned by employers as a motive for initiating a scheme. EDS provision often seems to foster a better relationship between staff and employer. Conclusion and Discussion The benefits of labour education and employee development schemes reported by employers and staff are numerous. The existing literature proposes that employers currently regard improved learning skills and a flexible workforce as the clearest outcome. As well, it would seem that improved motivation, empowerment and confidence of workers are noteworthy outcomes. The fact that employees are often more keen to learn, and have more confidence in their abilities as a result of participation, can help shift a company in the aim of becoming a learning organization. Overall, the development of employees can permit them to make a significant contribution to the success of a business. However, there is a penchant in the literature to slip from arguing workplace learning to empowerment to industrial democracy is the identical process and to presume that if a corporation is training its workforce that it is empowering its workers. Such statements need to be tested against employees as well as em ployer experience and placed in a more analytical understanding of the flexible workplace and the knowledge economy. Im not convinced that corporate leaders believe that empowering employees makes a company more effective. Empowering workers means sharing power or increasing workers control and the powerful in business rarely like allocating power. Debates of workplace learning need understand the real issues of power, authority, control, inequality, and ownership for real empowerment and workplace democracy. Slogans such as buying in to company values and owning are an integral part of todays corporate arrangement (being accountable for your own accomplishments). Furthermore, it is important to understand the value of unions as a positive influence in democratizing the workplace. A long serving employee, with a good union contract, may perhaps have access to job security, but contemporary corporate position is for employees to take responsibility of their own careers. This means more than meeting performance goals. It necessitate routine demonstration of eagerness, display of loyalty, and continuous display of commitment by gaining new skills, volunteering for new challenges and indicating a readiness to do more than is necessary or expected. Commendable employees are seasoned overachievers; they have to be because doing more than is necessary or expected is precisely what is required and expected! Employee empowerment is not the key to structural problems. This does not signify that it will not receive wide acceptance and be hyped as a way to attain organizational excellence through workplace democracy. I believe that workplace learning is d eliberated to assimilate workers into management culture; labour education permits workers to challenge it. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson.

Lakota Woman Review

Lakota Woman mary crow dog The book, Lakota Woman, written by Mary Crow Dog, gave the reader a personal view of the feelings shared by most Indians living in the United States during this present day. The book dealt with the time period of Crow Dog’s life along with some references to past events. Crow Dog attempted to explain the hostility felt towards the white men in the United States by the surviving Indian population. She used her own life as an example in many instances to give the reader a personal perspective.The main point in writing this book was to present the reader with the Indian viewpoint on how they were treated and what the effects of that treatment has done to their people over the years. From the beginning of the book it becomes evident that not all Indians are the same. Mary Crow Dogs grandparents grew up during a time when the United States was trying to â€Å"civilize† the Indians by forcing them to abandon their customs in favor of a Christian lif estyle.Most Indians took offence to that proposition, but some did not. Crow Dog’s grandmother was one of the Indians who would have been termed as a successful convert. She adopted the Christian faith and was raising her grandchildren to accept Jesus in their lives. Crow Dog admitted the Jesus part sounded good, it was the beatings at the hands of the nuns and the awful food served to them at the boarding school that tainted their views of Christianity. Indians who accepted the white man’s ways were called half bloods.Crow Dog said, â€Å"The general rule is that whoever thinks, sings, acts, and speaks Indian is a skin, a full-blood, and whoever acts and thinks like a white man is a half-blood or breed, no matter how Indian he looks. † (49) This division among their own people often created hostility and sometimes led to violence. Another problem was the rage felt inside of the warriors who were having their lifestyle taken from them. These were men who were us ed to hunting for their food which in turn gave them a feeling of pride. Being held on a reservation took their spirit and crushed it.It led to heavy drinking among a large amount of the male Indian population which sometimes led to violence against women. Crow Dog suggested that these men were acting out because they could not hunt and perform their duties as Indian males. The book spoke about the different religious ceremonies and the spirituality exemplified by the Indian people. The use of the pipe along with the Willow tree tobacco, the various dances performed, and the infusion of religion in every aspect of the Indians life showed the reader how important religion is to the Indian people.Because of that knowledge, it was appalling to read how Leonard Crow Dog’s religious rights were violated and mocked in prison. The basic right of being able to freely practice a religion was denied to Crow Dog while incarcerated. The AIM, or American Indian Movement, was formed in ord er to bring to light the hardships faced by the Indians living in the United States and took a huge part in the Wounded Knee incident. Crow Dog was a member of that organization and married Leonard who was one of the group’s leaders. Power is a theme that is seen throughout the book in various forms.Crow Dog spoke of the power felt during certain Indian customs such as smoking the peace pipe or performing the Ghost Dance. Another form of power was seen when the doctors at the hospital took Crow Dog’s sisters baby and killed it. As if that was not enough, her sister was sterilized so she could not have any more Indian children. Crow Dog made sure that would not happen to her own child who was born at Wounded Knee. The show of force by the military at Wounded Knee was another example of the power exerted by the white men on the Indians.The fabricated charges brought against Leonard Crow Dog which resulted in his incarceration showed the power the government held and was willing to use against the Indians. The Indian women show their own version of power by making it their duty to procreate in order to replace the population of warriors who were lost defending the cause. Another theme running through the book is anger. Not surprisingly, Crow Dog and a good majority of her people felt that something was taken from them without their permission.Because they harbor those feelings, they believe it is ok to do things like steal from stores owned by white people. They justify their actions because they feel they are getting their revenge against the white people who stole from them. Taking Wounded Knee over and performing the Ghost Dance was a way to show the white man that they were not going to be taken advantage of any longer. They were not going to let the white men stop them from performing their sacred ceremonies and change their way of life.The Indians took their anger against the white man and used it as fuel. Crow Dog spoke of the hardships she h ad to deal with living as Leonard Crow Dogs wife. Initially she was not interested in Leonard Crow Dog, but years later she found herself married to him and acting as his main support line during his incarceration. When Leonard was released from prison she described how they had to become reacquainted with each other. Life was extremely challenging for Mary Crow Dog but she stood by her husband’s side and provided the support he needed.After being released, Mary Crow Dog would follow Leonard to various places around the country where his help was needed to bring recognition to a person or groups issue. Her life was dedicated to Leonard and together they both fought for what they believed in. For Mary Crow Dog, her life as an Indian became complete when she took part in the Ghost Dance ceremony. Crow Dog was pierced in the traditional way and experienced the visions that her ancestors had for hundreds of years. She felt that she was finally a full blooded Indian after the cere mony which symbolized that her transition was complete.The author, Mary Crow Dog, is an Indian who has experienced the hardships of life living as an Indian under the conditions the United States Government has mandated for the Indian people. She gave the account of her life and co-authored the book along with Richard Erdoes. Crow Dog has also written Ohitika Woman, while Erdoes has written several books including Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, The Sun Dance People, The Rain Dance People, The Pueblo Indians, and Crying for a Dream. Erdoes used Crow Dogs firsthand account as the basis for writing this book.The authors accomplished their goal of bringing the reader into the world of the Indians and presenting the difficulties they faced and had overcome over the years at the hands of the United States Government. I enjoyed the book. I felt that it informed the reader of the various problems the Indians have faced over the years and how some of those problems are still being dealt with. It showed the mistreatment of the Indians by the United States Government. It brought the reader into the world of the Indian and made you understand why their harbor resentment and hostility along with mistrust for white people and the government.I think this book is important for anyone who is looking to get an inside look into the bruised feelings of Indians and the reasons behind those feelings. The book provided an overview of what tribe life is like and did not hide the negatives like the drinking problems and abuse of women. Anybody who is looking for knowledge into the feelings of Indians will benefit greatly from this book. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes, Lakota Woman, (New York, N. Y. , Harper Perennial 1990)

Health Promotion Program Proposal On Lyme Disease Prevention

Health Promotion Program Proposal on Lyme disease Prevention My health promotion program will focus on Lyme disease. My state-Maryland is number one in the list of top ten states for Lyme disease in United States. According to Physicians Now (2016), Although there were fewer cases of Lyme disease reported in 2012 than in previous years, the illness is still more common in Maryland than in many other states. There were 1,113 confirmed cases and 538 suspected cases in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through the bite of one of several types of ticks. Borrelia burgdorferi (B burgdorferi) is the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. UMMC (2016) asserted that†¦show more content†¦According to EPA (2011), In order to garner support for local community IPM efforts and to promote prevention, communication and outreach with local citizens is imperative. People are less likely to be interested in preventive measures if they have limited understanding of the problem and risk involved. One question concerning communication and outreach in communities, posed by Karl Malamud-Roam, is who should educate whom? Against this backdrop, program stakeholders were identified by considering group that will be willing to learn, comprehend, and pass on the information on Lyme disease to the grass root level. Also considered are the issues of who is at risk, and community involvement. So stakeholders include Maryland Department of Health, K-8 schoo l children, school teachers, parents, and local community groups. On collaboration strategies, the local health department will provide the school teachers with all the information they need to educate the K-8 school children on Lyme disease prevention. The parents when the children go home will help them get acquainted with the

Hiv/Aids Stigma and Discrimination - 1338 Words

Cepeda Social Psychology HIV/AIDS Stigma and Discrimination Strayer University November 19, 2011 Internationally, there has been a recent resurgence of interest in HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination, triggered at least in part by growing recognition that negative social responses to the epidemic remain pervasive even in seriously affected communities. Yet, rarely are existing notions of stigma and discrimination interrogated for their conceptual adequacy and their usefulness in leading to the design of effective programmers and interventions. Taking as its starting point, the classic formulation of stigma as a ‘significantly discrediting’ attribute, but moving beyond this to conceptualize stigma and stigmatization as†¦show more content†¦She also reported being excluded from participating in some school activities, just because she had AIDS. HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination in employment Getting a job after school was not easy for her. After suspecting that she was denied jobs from the local businesses because of her HIV/AIDS status, she decided to look for a job in a distant town. She got the job, but after her employer and workmates learned of her HIV/AIDS, things never remained the same; she suffered rejection and offensive comments from workmates, and eventually, her employer terminated her employment. HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination in religious communities Instead of love and compassion from religious groups, the young girl instead was perceived to have brought double portions of shame, disgrace and reproach to her religion. She was blamed for moral and religious irresponsibility. Religious groups generally considered her as a sinner paying for her sins, as they believed that her AIDS is curse from God inflicted on fornicators. The consequences In fear of stigma and discrimination, she stopped seeking for treatment and refrained from disclosing her status. 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