Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the use of the Delphi technique to support curriculum development with a view to enhancing existing literature on use of the technique for renewal of business course curricula. Design/methodology/approach – The authors outline the Delphi process for obtaining consensus amongst a diverse expert group, provide an overview of the results of the study to demonstrate its value and present an analysis of participants’ reflections on the Delphi process experience. Drawing on participants’ reflections and the experience of using the technique the authors present a “good practice guide” for others seeking to apply the technique and discuss implications for practice and research. Findings – Analysis of participants’ feedback identified strengths and limitations of the process. Participants perceived that the process was efficient and fostered reflection on their own practice. The technique’s capacity to draw out varied views due to absence of dominant voices was highlighted. Limitations were perceived to be restrictiveness of the process and potential inability to address varying understandings. Participant feedback suggests the process may provide a fragmented approach to curriculum design. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest avenues for future research, including examining how the Delphi technique can be incorporated into a holistic set of curriculum design field studies that are linked and ultimately lead to a well-designed curriculum. Originality/value – Current literature on the Delphi technique does not provide participants’ perspectives on the process nor researcher reflections on use of the technique. The authors address this gap and generate good practice guidelines for using the Delphi technique as a tool for curriculum renewal

Purpose - This study seeks to examine the impact of downsizing and restructuring decisions and processes on perceptions of organisational knowledge and effectiveness after downsizing and restructuring events in \u22successful\u22 and \u22unsuccessful\u22 organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The study proposes a conceptual framework hypothesising that the impact of decisions and processes on levels of organisational knowledge are key determinants of effectiveness in post-downsizing and restructuring organisations. Data were collected using a survey instrument developed through review of literature along with focus group findings. Survey data are factor-analysed to identify stable constructs for testing hypotheses using regression analysis. Findings - The findings indicate that the significance of the variables tested is found in those organisations considered by employees to be unsuccessful after downsizing and restructuring, rather than in their successful counterparts Practical implications - The findings indicate that organisations undertaking downsizing or restructuring need to consider the organisational culture and climate with regard to knowledge retention and the potential impact of these initiatives to ensure that employee experiences are constructive. Support strategies such as counselling and training are important, as are job redesign, time for employee handover and docrnnentation of procedures, if know ledge retention is to be maximised. Originality/value - Although knowledge retention within organisations is generally accepted as desirable, little previous research has considered the impact of downsizing decisions or processes on knowledge retention. Additionally, data collected for this research were drawn from multiple respondents within a large number of organisations, providing breadth and depth of data for analysis

Although downsizing and restructuring are topics of interest to both scholars and practitioners, little research has examined the impact of knowledge management and knowledge sharing on the outcomes of such events. With the growing importance of knowledge management to HRM practitioners, this research looks at the impact of knowledge sharing and the resulting organisational knowledge on the effectiveness of organisations after downsizing or restructuring. As well as being of concern to organisations undergoing downsizing or restructuring, this issue will become increasingly relevant as the ageing population exits the workforce in large numbers over coming years. Data were collected from over 600 \u27survivors\u27 of downsizing and restructuring across Australia and were analysed from the perspective of those who made and/or implemented downsizing or restructuring decisions and of the general population of employees affected by these events. Findings suggest the decision-maker group places greater importance on formal knowledge sharing mechanisms while the general population relies more heavily on informal networks. This may result in insufficient support being provided for informal knowledge networks, with adverse organisational results

Much work has been done to identify competencies that HR practitioners need for a strategic HR role. However, little, if any, attention has been paid to the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) required of graduates entering the strategic HRM (SHRM) field. This study focuses on this area of neglect by employing the Delphi method to address the question: What core KSAs should SHRM students acquire? Three sequential questionnaires were administered to elicit opinions of leading academics and senior HR practitioners on KSAs that are important and to build consensus on the core KSAs. These processes generated ranked lists of 10 knowledge areas, 5 skills and 5 attitudes that will inform the design of curricula for undergraduate and postgraduate SHRM students.

No abstract