Programmatic Workplace and Human Resource Development How to Create and Disseminate Generative Ideas

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Programmatic Workplace and Human Resource
DevelopmentHow to Create and Disseminate
Generative Ideas?

• Tuomo Alasoini
• Ministry of Labour
• Finnish Workplace Development Programme Tykes
• tuomo.alasoini_at_mol.fi

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Programmatic Workplace and Human Resource
Development

• means that development is guided by a shared
  framework which applies to several workplaces at
  the same time, and that the content of the
  framework has been agreed with central government
  or other sources of funding, the social partners,
  research and educational institutions and
  naturally the management and staff at the
  workplaces concerned

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Levels of Programme Goals
1. Public Policy Level
2. Programme Level
3. Generative LevelSecond order generative
results
4. Workplace LevelFirst order and second
order results
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What Is Meant by First Order and Second Order
Results?

• First order results Improvements in workplace
  performance or the quality of working life with
  the help of changes in HRM practices as a result
  of development projects.
• Second order results Support structures which
  emerge at the workplace as a result of
  development projects and which guarantee the
  durability of the above changes.
• Second order generative results How the
  project results act as a source of learning and
  inspiration for other workplaces and the various
  stakeholder groups that are not directly involved
  in a project in question.

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The Mechanisms behind the Effects of HRM
Practices

• Universalistic approach
• Contingency approach
• Complementary and configurational approach

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Main Objections to the Spread of New Forms of
Work Organization and Other Advanced HRM
Practices

• They are not needed in order to respond to client
  needs.
• They do not fit in with the workplaces culture
  (the way of doing things).
• They are incompatible with the strategy of the
  workplace.

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The Traditional Programme Strategy and Good
Practices

• A group of separate demonstration projects
  implemented at workplaces with progressive modes
  of operation.
• The purpose of the projects is to act as
  empirical proof to demonstrate some principle,
  practice or solution.
• On the basis of the results of demonstration
  projects, experts construct good (or best)
  practices and then start to pass these as
  blueprints on to other, less progressive
  workplaces.

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Reasons for Success of Demonstration Projects

• They are usually equipped with exceptional
  resources in terms of funding and expertise.
• They can practice extensive target-specific
  tailoring for the company, workplace or work unit
  concerned.
• They are implemented in progressive workplaces,
  which already have experience both of
  self-motivated development operations and
  cooperation with researchers and consultants.
• Participation in the programme boosts the
  legitimacy and transparency of the project and,
  consequently, the commitment of the praticipants
  to immplementing it as well as possible.
• Participation in the programme gives rise to what
  is called the Hawtorne effect.

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Limitations of the Traditional Programme Strategy

• It is based on the idea of a linear innovation
  model (the cascade model) with sequenced flow
  of knowledge from the top down or from the
  centre to the periphery.
• The more abstract and systemically complex a
  phenomenon or an idea is, the less it lends
  itself to mechanic process of transfer from one
  context to another and the more it is a local
  creation.
• It is easier to turn individual management
  techniques and tools into products and
  disseminate them as opposed to new forms of work
  organization, not to mention general management
  principles.
• Its success in providing second order results,
  let alone generative results, is much poorer than
  its success in providing first order results.

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An Alternative View Generative Ideas as Good
Practices

• View on generative results more as ideas which
  are the focus of reflection for various players
  and which emerge as result of their mutual
  dialogue rather than ready-made objects from
  individual projects.
• A critical mass of projects with high potential
  for dialogue and learning rather than a few
  isolated pilot (star) cases.
• Knowledge of experts and practioners in
  interaction and on an equal footing.

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An Alternative View Key Concepts

• reflexive benchmarking
• interactive learning spaces with shared context
• development coalitions or learning networks
• learning from (moderate) diversity

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Alternative View Should Gain Ground, Because

• the importance of psycho-social issues take on
  added importance in workplace and human resources
  development as working life changes
• it is based overall on a more modern and
  realistic view on innovation (interactive or
  recursive model on innovation)