A case study of a work team in a company using quality management strategies found that training to improve customer service actually served to shape workers' attitudes and control their behavior. The focus of this organizational learning was instrumental and served the interests of the organization, not the workers. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the way leadership influences an organization to become humane through its features and behaviors; as well as the organizational circumstances in which humane leadership can be nurtured. The first empirical case study, in the fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) and hospitality management, to…

The graying of the labor force, together with the recession of 2008-2010, has forced employers and prognosticators to take a hard look at workforce preparation, training, and planning. This employer research survey is one component of a larger project that explores the workforce, labor force projections, and employer views on training,…

Layoffs and employment changes caused by current economic conditions have significant effects on employee work behavior and emotions as well as organizational outcomes. We examined the relationships between measures of job insecurity, organizational commitment, turnover, absenteeism, and worker performance within a manufacturer in Chapter 11…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined the impact of formal total quality management (TQM) practices on the performance of 20 selected U.S. companies that were among the highest-scoring applicants in 1988 and 1989 for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Several key indicators used by companies to measure performance were analyzed.…

A study was conducted to provide vocational educators with resources regarding implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM). Data were gathered through development of a bibliography of resources; a survey of all Oklahoma vocational-technical schools regarding specific industries in their area using TQM components (10 responses); and site…

William Ouchi's Theory Z, a theory that focuses on the identification of both management and labor with the company's goals, emphasizes communication structures and styles. Ringi is a Japanese procedure for decision making in which all levels of management participate. In Ringi, a manager's task is to communicate. In quality control (Q-C) circles,…

This curriculum guide resulted from a project conducted to: (1) improve the productivity and efficiency of 21 companies by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs; and (2) to improve the capability of educational providers to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing and financial…

A project was conducted for the following purposes: (1) improve the productivity and efficiency of 21 companies by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs; and (2) improve the capability of educational providers to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing and financial services…

By emulating traits of high-performing corporations such as those described in the book "In Search of Excellence," the library/information profession can also reach the goal of excellence. Attributes characterizing excellent companies include exhibiting a bias for action; maintaining quality service through closeness to the customer;…

Quality Circle (QC) and Quality of Working Life (QWL) in the United States are similar in that both stress participative decision making, preserve management's prerogative to have the final say, and are voluntary. QC and QWL programs differ, however, in that labor unions are more involved in QWLs; QCs deal only with technical problems related to…

With the passage of legislation providing financial rewards for merit schools, the Dade County Public Schools and the United Teachers of Dade negotiated a program, now known as the Quality Instruction Incentives Plan (QIIP), designed to recognize significant improvements in student physical and academic achievement. The success of QIIP initiated a…

Beginning an an informal, unstructured information interchange among 100 union, worker, and management representatives from seventeen public and private sector organizations operationally involved in quality of work life activities, a 1977 conference evolved into the first annual meeting of the American Quality of Work Life Association.…

This collection of real-life stories profiles chief executive officers, managers, and employees who view social challenges as opportunities to create new markets, build motivated work forces, and attract loyal customers. The companies profiled have been honored by The Business Enterprise Trust, founded by Norman Lear. The following profiles are…

This report draws on a series of conferences held to develop guides for labor-management cooperation at the plant level. These included six recent initiatives conferences held in cooperation with State University Institutes of Industrial Relations and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and a seventh sponsored by the Commission…