Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Tweet[IWS] RAND: MANAGING DIVERSE WORK GROUPS IN THE U.S. COAST GUARD [27 November 2013]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
RAND
Managing Diverse Work Groups in the U.S. Coast Guard [27 November 2013]
by Laura Collins
http://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE110.html
or
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE110/RAND_PE110.pdf
[full-text, 14 pages]
Abstract
The U.S. Coast Guard recently developed and implemented policies that foster and sustain diversity to benefit mission effectiveness. A diverse workforce can enhance the responsiveness and effectiveness across the Coast Guard's broad mission scope, but differences can also divide teams to the detriment of a goal or even an entire organization. Going forward, Coast Guard leaders will benefit from specific training and guidance to bring out the best from work groups consisting of men and women of different ethnic, racial, and functional backgrounds on a daily basis.
KEY FINDINGS
The Coast Guard Is Developing Specific Training on How to Lead a Diverse Workforce
•This is called for by the Coast Guard's Diversity Strategic Plan, and the Military Leadership Diversity Commission report.
The Coast Guard Has Begun to Recruit a More Demographically Diverse Workforce
•In time, minority groups are expected to form the majority of the U.S. population. Thus these groups will be the primary areas for future Coast Guard recruitment.
•Women are outpacing men in college attendance, and it is expected that more women will be in the recruitment pool.
•Repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy has added another demographic diversity dimension for leaders to consider.
•Front line Coast Guard workgroups are made up of increasingly diverse individuals.
Studies Have Assessed Performance of Diverse Teams
•Overall, results of diverse work groups tend to be mixed. Some are highly successful, while others appear to be negatively affected by the differences within the group.
•Diverse work groups have access to a variety of views, approaches, and capabilities — but how the team is organized and the example team leaders set seem to be the key factors in whether this variety is ultimately an asset or detriment.
Coast Guard Leaders Can Shape the Performance Outcomes of Diverse Work Teams
•Coast Guard leaders can implement certain leadership practices that help mitigate negative work group processes, and improve the performance of diverse teams.
RECOMMENDATIONS
•Leaders should foster positive attitudes about diversity.
•Task complexity and motivation should be a consideration when forming diverse work groups.
•Teams benefit when leaders instill a superordinate identity for diverse team members to bond around.
•Leaders should be trained to create a supportive environment for diverse perspectives, attitudes and work styles.
•Effective leadership styles for diverse groups include those who act as a positive role model, provide motivation, and align overarching and individual goals.
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
[IWS] ADB: SKILLS FOR COMPETITIVENESS, JOBS, AND EMPLOYABILITY IN DEVELOPING ASIA-PACIFIC [26 November 2013]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB Briefs, No. 18, November 2013
SKILLS FOR COMPETITIVENESS, JOBS, AND EMPLOYABILITY IN DEVELOPING ASIA-PACIFIC [26 November 2013]
or
http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2013/skills-competitiveness-jobs-employability.pdf
[full-text, 8 pages]
Description
This policy brief draws on presentations and discussions at the ADB International Skills Development Forum held in ADB headquarters in Manila in December 2012 forum.
Government representatives, technical and vocational education and training institutional heads, researchers, international organizations, policy research think tanks, and private sector representatives discussed skills development for employability and sustainable livelihoods. Of special importance to the forum discussions were the presentations of major studies from five organizations on skills and jobs that were released in 2012.
Key Points
• Talent and skills are crucial to competitiveness of industries.
• Skills development serving clusters of different but interrelated industries can increase efficiency and sectoral competitiveness.
• Skills credentials developed and endorsed by industry are crucial for successful transition from school to work.
• Educational institutions should engage industries to jointly develop skills assessment tools which help improve jobreadiness of students.
• TVET needs to cover broader transferable skills in addition to technical skills. Formal education also needs to foster transferable skills. A longer stay in formal school can help students to acquire general and transferable skills.
• The rise of technology in manufacturing requires “gray collar” or “knowledge workers”’ for higher value-added products that enable economies to avoid the middle-income trap.
• Advanced skills are indispensable for a high-productivity economy while medium-skills workers are key for growth of labor-intensive sectors.
• Developing skills for the services sector is important for Asia to improve competitiveness in knowledge-intensive services such as financial intermediation, computer and information services, legal and technical support, and business services.
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
[IWS] OECD ECONOMIC SURVEY OF GREECE 2013 & COMPETITION ASSESSMENT REVIEW [27 November 2013]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Organisation for Economic Cooperaton and Development (OECD)
OECD ECONOMIC SURVEY OF GREECE 2013 [27 November 2013]
http://www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/greece-2013.htm
or
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-greece-2013_eco_surveys-grc-2013-en
[full-text, 134 pages]
or
OVERVIEW
http://www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/GRC_Overview_Eng_2013.pdf
[full-text, 38 pages]
OECD COMPETITION ASSESSMENT REVIEWS: GREECE [27 November 2013]
http://www.oecd.org/daf/competition/greece-competition-review-2013.htm
or
http://www.oecd.org/daf/competition/Greece-Competition-Assessment-2013.pdf
[full-text, 328 pages]
About the book
The work undertaken by the Greek authorities in recent years to reinforce competition law and the Hellenic Competition Commission, to simplify business administration and to liberalise professional services have demonstrated the political willingness to address the problem of existing regulatory barriers to competition that have contributed to holding back the economic recovery.
Through the scrutiny of legislation in key sectors of the Greek economy - food processing, retail trade, building materials and tourism - the OECD Competition Assessment Project identified 555 problematic regulations and 329 provisions where changes could be made to foster competition. The OECD Competition Assessment Toolkit was used to structure the analysis.
If our recommendations are implemented, benefits to consumers in Greece and to the Greek economy should arise in all four sectors. Throughout this report, we seek to identify the sources of those benefits and where possible provide quantitative estimates. Estimates are made on the basis of experiences of deregulation in other countries in some instances, or by relating conservative estimates of efficiency gains to the overall size of the business activity affected.
Press Release 27 November 2013
Greece: Structural reforms under way but more progress needed in boosting market dynamism
27/11/2013-Greece has made impressive headway in consolidating its public finances and undertaking key structural reforms to boost productivity and enhance competitiveness. These reforms need to be implemented swiftly and in full to put Greece on a path of stronger, more inclusive growth, according to the OECD.
In its latest Economic Survey of Greece, the OECD says the crisis has been much deeper than expected, leading to a sharp contraction in activity that has pushed unemployment up to almost 28% of the labour force, created hardship for vulnerable social groups, and is posing risks to the sustainability of the country’s government debt.
Presenting the Survey in Athens, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said: “For the reform efforts to succeed and be accepted by citizens, it is imperative that both the costs and the benefits of adjustment are shared fairly.”
He acknowledged that the country’s government debt trajectory has worsened as a result of slower-than-expected growth, despite the 2012 restructuring.
“If Greek growth again disappoints, or deflation persists – even after the implementation of structural reforms - then it will be extremely difficult to reach the debt-to-GDP target of 120% by 2020. In this case, serious consideration should be given to reducing the current debt burden,” he said.
The Survey says accelerating and broadening the structural reform programme is essential for a sustainable recovery. It says privatisations should be speeded up, particularly in the energy sector and in railways, regional airports, ports and real estate.
The report recommends better targeting of benefits, including a minimum income scheme, to strengthen the safety net. Health care cuts must focus on further reducing inefficiencies while safeguarding cost-effective and critical services.
The OECD’s Competition Assessment of Laws and Regulations in Greece complements the Survey by recommending policies to achieve greater competition, widen consumer choice and lower prices. The Competition Assessment scrutinises more than a thousand pieces of legislation in four sectors: food processing, retail, building materials and tourism. If the recommendations are fully implemented, the benefit to the Greek economy in efficiency gains and increased purchasing power for consumers is estimated at 5.2 billion euros a year, or 2.5% of GDP.
The OECD is also working with Greece to reduce administrative red tape. It estimates that by lifting regulatory obstacles in a number of sectors by 25%, businesses could save around 1.8 billion euros annually, while supporting growth in productivity.
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
[IWS] WorldatWork: SURVEY BRIEFS AND REPORTS 1999 TO 2013 WHICH ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FOR FREE
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
WorldatWork [The Total Rewards Association]
SURVEY BRIEFS AND REPORTS 1999 TO 2013 WHICH ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FOR FREE
http://worldatwork.org/Content/research/html/research-home.jsp
[Click on Title below for access]
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________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
