The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
In an earlier article I made some preliminary observations about the web of connections between i... more In an earlier article I made some preliminary observations about the web of connections between individuals and the organisations in which they are employed, and in particular about the effect of these connections on the career paths of women(1). In the present article, the earlier ideas are extended to consider the more general issues of the effect of the web of connections on employees who are not members of the dominant group in the organisation. In considering such employees I will examine some of the difficulties that surround the realisation of their potential, with particular reference to facing the responsibilities and avoiding the individual and organisational costs of being consistently under‐ or over‐used.
Leadership & organization development journal, Mar 1, 1980
One of the most persistent problems faced by managers in organisations of any scale is how to mak... more One of the most persistent problems faced by managers in organisations of any scale is how to make decisions about the personal competence of their subordinates. Are there any criteria which can help managers to make judgements about the level of work which subordinates are currently capable of carrying, the growth of their capability and the point which they will reach at the height of their powers?
In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of wo... more In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of work has led to a totally new approach to the selection of personnel and to the appraisal of individual potential, both in new or expanding industries and in old or contracting industries. Whatever the setting, the approach has achieved the same result: a more efficient organisation and better job satisfaction and career opportunities for its employees.
International Journal of Career Management, Aug 1, 1993
Argues that to survive and prosper in the political, social and economic climate of the 1990s and... more Argues that to survive and prosper in the political, social and economic climate of the 1990s and beyond, organizations must find a new way of achieving viability by aligning purposes, people, strategies and structures. Four linked procedures offer a proven way of contributing to viability by viewing the contribution of individuals in the light of organizational purpose. Career Path Appreciation (CPA) is a one‐to‐one interview that allows a trained practitioner to arrive, in two to three hours, at a view about a person′s current and likely future capability to make effective decisions. This is shared first with the respondent and then with the organization. Career Path Mapping (CPM) enables the understanding offered by CPA to be used for the mutual benefit of organization and individual. The Work Journal (WJ) enables people who have recently moved to a new level of responsibility to set down their thoughts and actions in a systematic format that encourages reflection. Organization Mapping (OM) offers an optimal model, indicating where energy can be effectively focused to bring about lasting change, taking into account purpose, patterns of communication and culture, and indicating the relationship between individual capability and the way in which work is structured at seven different levels.
Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of ind... more Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of individual capability to perform in real life with reference to the capability to carry responsibility at higher levels of work in both civilian and military organizational settings. In relation to this objective, this report increases scientific understanding of the meaning of human capability in action and of the nature of the psychological processes underlying the level of complexity of action the person can generate, comprehend, and effect; the type of capability they prefer to use; and the growth of capability to act and take responsibility at increasingly complex levels. In this work, the implications of Stratified Systems Theory are examined and applied to military organizational settings.
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Oct 1, 1986
This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individ... more This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individual and organizational influences on career paths. Using stratified systems theory, the author develops a model of structural and individual development that integrates individuals'capabilities and organizations'requirements and defines work in terms of time frames for completing goals. A sample of 168 women managers and military officers from the United Kingdom and U.S. took part in semistructured interviews, and the resulting data is used to describe different types of career paths and consider the consequences of different types of potential. The author concludes that institutional barriers have different natures and impacts on the full realization of women's competence at different strata of organizations.
Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of ind... more Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of individual capability to perform in real life with reference to the capability to carry responsibility at higher levels of work in both civilian and military organizational settings. In relation to this objective, this report increases scientific understanding of the meaning of human capability in action and of the nature of the psychological processes underlying the level of complexity of action the person can generate, comprehend, and effect; the type of capability they prefer to use; and the growth of capability to act and take responsibility at increasingly complex levels. In this work, the implications of Stratified Systems Theory are examined and applied to military organizational settings.
In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of wo... more In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of work has led to a totally new approach to the selection of personnel and to the appraisal of individual potential, both in new or expanding industries and in old or contracting industries. Whatever the setting, the approach has achieved the same result: a more efficient organisation and better job satisfaction and career opportunities for its employees.
The mutual wellbeing of individuals and organisations is essential in rapidly changing environmen... more The mutual wellbeing of individuals and organisations is essential in rapidly changing environments where sound decision making is at a premium. Although elusive, wellbeing can be sustained by a systematic and continuous review of the challenges faced and the growth of the capabilities of the people who engage with them. The article describes a procedure called Career Path Appreciation that focuses on the relationship between the individual and the organisation and, in so doing, contributes to their mutual wellbeing without compromise on either side.
This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individ... more This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individual and organizational influences on career paths. Using stratified systems theory, the author develops a model of structural and individual development that integrates individuals'capabilities and organizations'requirements and defines work in terms of time frames for completing goals. A sample of 168 women managers and military officers from the United Kingdom and U.S. took part in semistructured interviews, and the resulting data is used to describe different types of career paths and consider the consequences of different types of potential. The author concludes that institutional barriers have different natures and impacts on the full realization of women's competence at different strata of organizations.
The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
In an earlier article I made some preliminary observations about the web of connections between i... more In an earlier article I made some preliminary observations about the web of connections between individuals and the organisations in which they are employed, and in particular about the effect of these connections on the career paths of women(1). In the present article, the earlier ideas are extended to consider the more general issues of the effect of the web of connections on employees who are not members of the dominant group in the organisation. In considering such employees I will examine some of the difficulties that surround the realisation of their potential, with particular reference to facing the responsibilities and avoiding the individual and organisational costs of being consistently under‐ or over‐used.
Leadership & organization development journal, Mar 1, 1980
One of the most persistent problems faced by managers in organisations of any scale is how to mak... more One of the most persistent problems faced by managers in organisations of any scale is how to make decisions about the personal competence of their subordinates. Are there any criteria which can help managers to make judgements about the level of work which subordinates are currently capable of carrying, the growth of their capability and the point which they will reach at the height of their powers?
In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of wo... more In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of work has led to a totally new approach to the selection of personnel and to the appraisal of individual potential, both in new or expanding industries and in old or contracting industries. Whatever the setting, the approach has achieved the same result: a more efficient organisation and better job satisfaction and career opportunities for its employees.
International Journal of Career Management, Aug 1, 1993
Argues that to survive and prosper in the political, social and economic climate of the 1990s and... more Argues that to survive and prosper in the political, social and economic climate of the 1990s and beyond, organizations must find a new way of achieving viability by aligning purposes, people, strategies and structures. Four linked procedures offer a proven way of contributing to viability by viewing the contribution of individuals in the light of organizational purpose. Career Path Appreciation (CPA) is a one‐to‐one interview that allows a trained practitioner to arrive, in two to three hours, at a view about a person′s current and likely future capability to make effective decisions. This is shared first with the respondent and then with the organization. Career Path Mapping (CPM) enables the understanding offered by CPA to be used for the mutual benefit of organization and individual. The Work Journal (WJ) enables people who have recently moved to a new level of responsibility to set down their thoughts and actions in a systematic format that encourages reflection. Organization Mapping (OM) offers an optimal model, indicating where energy can be effectively focused to bring about lasting change, taking into account purpose, patterns of communication and culture, and indicating the relationship between individual capability and the way in which work is structured at seven different levels.
Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of ind... more Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of individual capability to perform in real life with reference to the capability to carry responsibility at higher levels of work in both civilian and military organizational settings. In relation to this objective, this report increases scientific understanding of the meaning of human capability in action and of the nature of the psychological processes underlying the level of complexity of action the person can generate, comprehend, and effect; the type of capability they prefer to use; and the growth of capability to act and take responsibility at increasingly complex levels. In this work, the implications of Stratified Systems Theory are examined and applied to military organizational settings.
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Oct 1, 1986
This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individ... more This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individual and organizational influences on career paths. Using stratified systems theory, the author develops a model of structural and individual development that integrates individuals'capabilities and organizations'requirements and defines work in terms of time frames for completing goals. A sample of 168 women managers and military officers from the United Kingdom and U.S. took part in semistructured interviews, and the resulting data is used to describe different types of career paths and consider the consequences of different types of potential. The author concludes that institutional barriers have different natures and impacts on the full realization of women's competence at different strata of organizations.
Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of ind... more Abstract : The specific objective of this report is to test earlier work on the assessment of individual capability to perform in real life with reference to the capability to carry responsibility at higher levels of work in both civilian and military organizational settings. In relation to this objective, this report increases scientific understanding of the meaning of human capability in action and of the nature of the psychological processes underlying the level of complexity of action the person can generate, comprehend, and effect; the type of capability they prefer to use; and the growth of capability to act and take responsibility at increasingly complex levels. In this work, the implications of Stratified Systems Theory are examined and applied to military organizational settings.
In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of wo... more In this article I shall endeavour to show how the practical application of a classic theory of work has led to a totally new approach to the selection of personnel and to the appraisal of individual potential, both in new or expanding industries and in old or contracting industries. Whatever the setting, the approach has achieved the same result: a more efficient organisation and better job satisfaction and career opportunities for its employees.
The mutual wellbeing of individuals and organisations is essential in rapidly changing environmen... more The mutual wellbeing of individuals and organisations is essential in rapidly changing environments where sound decision making is at a premium. Although elusive, wellbeing can be sustained by a systematic and continuous review of the challenges faced and the growth of the capabilities of the people who engage with them. The article describes a procedure called Career Path Appreciation that focuses on the relationship between the individual and the organisation and, in so doing, contributes to their mutual wellbeing without compromise on either side.
This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individ... more This article seeks to contribute to a structural theory considering the connections among individual and organizational influences on career paths. Using stratified systems theory, the author develops a model of structural and individual development that integrates individuals'capabilities and organizations'requirements and defines work in terms of time frames for completing goals. A sample of 168 women managers and military officers from the United Kingdom and U.S. took part in semistructured interviews, and the resulting data is used to describe different types of career paths and consider the consequences of different types of potential. The author concludes that institutional barriers have different natures and impacts on the full realization of women's competence at different strata of organizations.
The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian ... more The initiative behind these letters arose in a meeting between two of the correspondents – Brian and Gillian. For many years they have both been interested in judgement in the decision-making of strategic leaders and thought they might come to understand it more fully through an exchange of letters. The third correspondent, Patrick, also has a long-standing interest in, and has been a practitioner of, judgement in strategic leadership.
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