Applied Research: Management and Leadership
Project Closed
Project Archive
Please note: all information below is for archival purposes only. The most relevant, up to date information can be found above.
Update - April 20th
The presentation slides from the breakfast launch in Melbourne and Sydney can be downloaded by clicking here.
Update - April 11th
IBSA this week officially launched the three recently completed key reports on critical productivity issues for leadership and management in Australian businesses. At breakfast functions in Melbourne (12 April) and Sydney (14 April) IBSA Chair, John Vines OAM, introduced the writers and their reports which cover different but interrelated aspects of business management:
- Karpin Revisited, Leadership and Management Challenges in Australia – what has happened in the last 15 years since the Karpin report, analysis and implementation of its recommendations, and newly framed challenges for the next 20 years.
- Australian Cultural Imprints @ Work 2010 and Beyond – what is the correlation between the workplace culture and the national culture and how does culture influence productivity and skills acquisition.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – The characteristics of CSR, ‘how to’ ‘what for’ and ‘how’ around both broad and specific aspects of CSR as it might be practiced in Australian businesses in the future.
The three reports are available for download.
For more information or hard copies please use the contact details on the left.
Update
The applied research project comprises of three reports, each report covers different aspects but are all interrelated. These following three reports have been finalised and will be shortly available for viewing:
- Karpin Revisited: Leadership and Management Challenges in Australia
- Australian Cultural Imprints @ Work 2010 and Beyond
- Corporate Social Responsibility
Summary of the three reports:
Karpin Revisited; Leadership and Management Challenges in Australia: This report considered the outcomes of the Karpin report over the past 15 years and examined what recommendations had or had not been implemented. Many new challenges facing leaders and managers have come to light, or intensified over the past 15 years, such as globalisation and new technology (particularly E Business and the Internet). Further challenges such as dealing with increasing uncertainty and volatility in markets, crisis management, sustainable development and climate change, demographic changes in the workforce (Gen Y/ Z and aging workforces), new organisational forms, leadership and self-management, and management education itself were highlighted as emergent issues in need of further research. The report analyses the recommendations and proposes a set of newly framed challenges looking forward over the next 20 years.
Australian Cultural Imprints @ Work 2010 and Beyond: This report reviewed the Cultural Imprint Studies of 1993 and 1995, and their relevance for 2010 and beyond. The report examined the correlation between the workplace culture and the national culture. For strategies to be successful it is imperative for leaders to understand the national culture. This will generate excellent service and product delivery as well as unlocking people’s vigour which is essential for business
Corporate Social Responsibility: Over the last decade the theory and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has developed globally from a left-field concept to mainstream practice across business sectors. This research looks at CSR characteristics, with the purpose of identifying a ‘how to’ ‘what for’ and ‘how’ around both broad and specific aspects of CSR as it might be practiced in Australian businesses in the future.
Update
Further to the information below, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project recently held a series of interactive workshops to determine with participants what does CSR mean (eg. looking after your employees, supporting charities or local communities, safe products at a fair price, behaving ethically, minimising environmental impacts), what are good models and practices and how it will be addressed in the future for businesses and professions.
The workshops were very well received and the next phase of the project moves to web based ‘virtual’ workshops. The virtual workshops will establish and assesses plausible future events/scenarios based on the issues identified during the interactive workshops and determine the probability of each event and the impact it would have on each issue in question.
For further information regarding the CSR project please click here, and for information about the virtual workshops, please click here.
The research activity relating to The Outworking of Karpin and the Australian Cultural Imprint for Leadership report is progressing to plan with final reports due shortly.
There have been a number of investigations undertaken over the last decade resulting in nationally released Reports on the importance of management development and the knowledge and skills managers need to perform effectively in the workplace ie, Enterprising Nation-Report (Karpin); The Manager of the 21st Century, 2020 Vision and Manager of the 21st Century: Implication).
With recent global events and an ever changing business environment, workplace and executive mindsets on the skills required for middle and senior executives is receiving renewed interest and the time is ripe to undertake an applied cross-industry research project of management practices in Australia.
IBSA recently assembled a working party representing key areas in Management and Leadership across a range of industry sectors. The working party has agreed that the following three research projects be undertaken:
1.The Outworking of Karpin
- A literature review of relevant management/leadership research both nationally and internationally undertaken since the release of Karpin.
- A final report detailing the outcomes of research including:
- Detailed evaluation of all Karpin's recommendations to determine which recommendations were implemented and those that were not implemented due to blockers
- Summary of the reason/s why recommendations were not implemented - what were theblockers e.g. political, cultural, economic
- Comparison of the business/industrial environment at the time of Karpin (1991-1995) and the current business/industrial environment.
- Summary of the current business/industrial context and recommendations as to how and if the findings of Karpin may translate into the future and inform policy development
- Summary of appropriate areas of Karpin research which could be used as the starting point for longitudinal applied research that may have changed over the period since Karpin.
The anticipated completion date for this project is 13 August 2010.
2. Australian Cultural Imprint for Leadership report
- A literary review and engagement with social researchers involved with current/recent studies relating to the Australian identify (difference between Baby Boomers, Gen X, Y and other related works).
- A final report detailing the outcomes of research including:
- The impact (if any) of the original Cultural Imprint research on corporate culture, work design, communication and customer relationship / and the sustainability of its implementation and how the implementation could have been improved
- The usage both within the initiating/sponsoring organisations and other external practitioners and their observations since implementation and current recommendations regarding content
- Comparison of the business/industrial environment at the time of the original Cultural Imprint study and the current business/industrial environment.
- Summary of the literary findings and engagement with social researchers regarding current/recent work in relation to the Australian identity
- Recommendations regarding a future complete and comprehensive archetype study.
The anticipated completion date for this project is 13 August 2010.
3. Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
- A reference paper to be utilised both within consultations and via the IBSA website on CSR definitions, precepts and links to organisational success including summaries of ISO26000 and GRI.
- A literary review involving both national and international reports to establish potential benefits of incorporating CSR and other products such as typology, drivers, benefits, risks and global positioning background
- A final report detailing the outcomes of research and consultations including:
- National and global positioning background
- A description/explanation of ‘what is CSR, what are the benefits and how can it be implemented’ (including a process implementation roadmap)
- The outputs from the consultations/online forums including existing practices, tested strategies, contemporary and emergent issues
- A blueprint for implementing CSR ie, what would an organisation embracing CSR look like now and in 2020 (how did we get there and what did we do)
The final report will cater to middle management/enterprises with 50 to 500 employees and influence organisational strategy decision making and business sustainability. It is also to be utilised as a reference document within VET programs, universities, cross industry, Skills Australia and ISCs. The anticipated completion date is November 2010.