Skills for Work in the 21st Century: What Does the Research Tell Us?

Hilton, Margaret L.

doi:10.5465/amp.2008.35590354

Cited by 57 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Downsizing continues to be a prevalent practice, as witnessed by 4 million US workers who were laid off in 2009 alone (Cascio, 2010). Simultaneously, more change is occurring with the retirement of the baby-boomer generation and the loss of knowledge workers in the labour pool (Dohm, 2000;Hilton, 2008). Organizations are becoming leaner, but at what cost?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Other Organizations Are Doing It, Why Shouldn't We? A Look at Downsizing and Organizational Identity through an Institutional Theory Lens

Day

Armenakis

Feild

et al. 2012

Journal of Change Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Downsizing is a current 'hot-button' issue confronting many organizations and enticing researchers alike. This case study explored the complex nature of these change initiatives, through both macro-environmental antecedents and non-financial organizational consequences. The adoption of downsizing was conceptualized through an institutional theory lens, and an organizational identity perspective to downsizing outcomes was applied, paying particular attention to the alignment of post-downsizing activities with the organization's mission. The case study examined the events leading up to the implementation of a downsizing initiative at a major university and then the post-implementation restructuring aftermath. It is demonstrated how organizational change can result in less-than-expected outcomes if the planning and implementation phases receive inadequate attention. Suffering from severe fiscal stress, decision makers mimicked a popular downsizing initiative without a thorough diagnosis, ultimately creating an environment for ineffectiveness. Specifically, a severe miscalculation in the number of faculty retirees resulted in academic chaos: a decrease in the classes offered; loss of administrative and student services; and loss of faculty achievements along with university name recognition. Most notably, a majority of retiree research endeavours were eliminated; a shocking outcome that conflicts with the mission of a major research university.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Other Organizations Are Doing It, Why Shouldn't We? A Look at Downsizing and Organizational Identity through an Institutional Theory Lens

Day

Armenakis

Feild

et al. 2012

Journal of Change Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More specifically, we consider firms that employ specialized professionals with different specific skills. We have in mind, for example, biotechnology firms that require at least a bachelor's degree in one of a range of bioscience disciplines plus human resource managers with communication skills to foster collaboration (Hilton 2008). Or, we also think of consultancy practices that in dealing with clients' problems need to integrate work of different professionals such as, for example, economists, lawyers and computer scientists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Self-emerging coordination mechanisms for knowledge integration processes

Mollona

Marcozzi

2009

Mind Soc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This topic's spectrum transcends the educational field, with special attention being paid to it by companies, entities that understand the impact of understanding and managing the complexities associated with working environments (Hilton, 2008). Although the concept of critical thinking admits multiple positions (O'Neill & Dluhy, 1997), there is a certain degree of consensus regarding its constituent features, including purpose, motivation, and goal orientation.…”

Section: Critical Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%