Author: gmetcalf
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Taming the Beast
Although their approach is widely criticized, it is fair to say that bullies represent a functional part of many organizations. They come in all shapes and sizes, all ages and both genders. Bullying is targeted and abusive behavior. It is personally destructive and should have nothing to do with advancing legitimate organizational goals. Despite its…
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Executive Perceptions about the Effectiveness of HR
In 2012, a study was initiated to examine how senior leaders in organizations throughout North America perceive the effectiveness of human resources professionals. The overarching objective of the study was to identify the issues most responsible for creating conflict between executives and HR practitioners in an effort to improve the working relationship going forward. The…
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Caught in the Cross Fire—When HR Practitioners Become Targets of Bullying
Recent studies about the prevalence of workplace bullying have confirmed that between 27 percent and 35 percent of employees in the United States report that they have been the target of bullying at work. Although there are several studies of bullying among US employees at large, there are only a few that examine bullying and…
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The dilemmas of a service economy
One of the biggest challenges we face at the moment is the shift towards a service economy. Depending on the statistics that you read, about 70% of American jobs, and 80% of US GDP, are based on services. It’s not much different for many other “developed” (3rd World, OECD…) countries. That information, though, only generates…
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Dialogue and Ecological Engineering
The ways in which we envision or understand systems determine much about the ways in which we attempt to affect them. The industrial era created a concept of organizations which mirrored the machines on which it was built. An efficient organization was to run like “ a well-oiled machine.” A clear division of labor improved…
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HR Investigations described
We provide investigative services related to alleged workplace misconduct with a primary focus on sexual harassment, ethical or policy violations, and workplace bullying.
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HR Consulting described
We provide general consulting to senior leaders and/or HR practitioners who would like to confidentially discuss highly sensitive employee or policy situations. This includes the coaching, support, and development of HR professionals in the organization, as well as development of the HR function itself.
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Executive Coaching described
We help organizations to develop and make the most of their talent. To this end, our work centers around three key groups: (1) senior executives who need to improve their managerial or interpersonal skills, or have been identified as creating negative workplace environments, (2) new executives or managers who have recently been promoted into their…
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Our Values
Our Values Through our work as both scholars and practitioners, we have come to the opinion that an almost obsessive focus on getting the culture right is the single best strategy to set an organization up for long-term success. For us, a positive and healthy workplace climate includes the following: A work environment that is…