ADVANCED
MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
VOLUME 66 NUMBER 3 SUMMER 2001
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Managing Workplace Romances
Employee behaviors that used to be considered none of anyone's business
may now be the employers business, for several reason. Because of
the rise in sexual harassment charges and the potential for damaging
morale and productivity, workplace romances can no longer be
ignored. Employers must have clear, written policies regarding
sexual harassment in order to provide the best possible working
environment. It's even advisable to have some written guidelines on
workplace romances, especially if they should occur between managers and
their subordinates.
Cindy M. Schaefer and Thomas R. Tudor
The Learning Organization and Strategic Change
Over time, organizations have evolved different approaches to the
cycles of change -- taking action, encountering obstacles, and overcoming
obstacles. The first approach, or version, relied on senior
management almost exclusively to plan and implement change. The
second paid attention to how plans should be implemented. The third
focused on readiness for change. Now a fourth version is emerging
that compensates for the limitations of the previous three: the learning
organization. In this model, everyone in the organization is engaged
in identifying and solving problems all the time.
Robert W. Rowden
Thriving in the Regulatory Environment of E-Commerce in China: A
Guanxi Strategy
Recognizing the tremendous potential of the Internet to boost economic
activity, the Chinese Communist Party has been supporting international
e-commerce. At the same time, however, the CCP is devising laws and
regulations to restrict activities or in formation in the e-commerce
channel that it sees as politically harmful or threatening to national
security. While foreign ownership in local Internet service
providers is not allowed this may change if china joins the World Trade Organization.
Potential foreign investors would do well to understand and harness the
power of "guanxi" (relationship networking) when it comes time
to deal with legal complexities and uncertainties.
Watti C. W. Lo and Andre M. Everett
The Age of Emergence: Toward a New Organizational Mindset
Traditionally, management theory treated an organization's environment
as a given and the management mindset was characterized by planning, hierarchical
integration, authority, and optimization. In the recent past, a new
perspective negated the traditional one and reflected the radical changes
in organizational environments. In the new mindset planning was
replaced by action, hierarchical control was replaced by network or
invisible control, efficiency by effectiveness, and so on The
emergent mindset blends these two earlier ones to provide creative insights
for managements dealing with paradoxes, such as efficiency versus
effectiveness.
Miguel Pina e Cunha, Joćo Vieira da Cunha, and Ken Kamoche
Employees as Part-Time Students: Is Stress Threatening the Quality of
Their Business Education?
About 25% of all undergraduates and a larger portion of graduate
students also work full-time. Many also juggle childcare and other
lifestyle challenges. Since most employers today are well aware that
intellectual capital may be the most important kind of capital, they would
be well advised to examine their business environment to see if they can
help relieve the stress of working and attending school. This may be
done by encouraging use of alternate education delivery systems (e.g.,
electronic), making scheduling changes, or perhaps allowing time during
the day for studying.
Eugene H. Fram and Gary Bonvillian
Moving Toward a Distributed Learning Model Based on Self-Managed
Learning
The quality of an organization's intellectual capital may make the
difference between success and failure in today's world of relentless
competition and rapid innovation. Research suggests that the more
efficient and effective learning approaches make the learner with
assistance from others, responsible for taking advantage of relevant
continuing education opportunities that are distributed through the
organization. Such self directed employees are generally highly
motivated and productive. Of course, each company's educational
model will reflect its own environment and culture.
Paul J. Guglielmino and Lucy M. Guglielmino
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