The Influence of Leadership in Building a Learning Organization

-- Jacqueline Kareem

Educational institutions as learning organizations could be best explained through Senge’s theoretical framework of schools as learning organizations. For Peter Senge, ‘real learning gets to the heart of what it is to be human. We become able to recreate ourselves. This applies to both individuals and organizations. Thus, for a learning organization, it is not enough to survive, but to enhance capacity to create’. Educational leaders are individuals in schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions that have responsibilities and a decision-making role. These people are responsible for the successes and failures of their institutions. This paper discusses the potential of leadership styles in influencing a learning organization. It first explores the leadership styles most frequently engaged in schools and secondly identifies the dimensions of leadership style that influence a learning organization. The study was conducted across 80 schools in the city of Bangalore. Two tools were used in this study, namely, Learning Organization Profile (LOP) to measure learning organization and leadership styles scale to measure the leadership style most engaged in by the supervisors/principals/coordinators of schools. A total of 750 respondents’ data was analyzed. The study has indicated that leadership styles play a significant role in building a learning organization. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

A Study on Work-Life Balance in the Indian Service Sector from a Gender Perspective

-- Jyoti Kakkar and Anuradha Bhandari

In the post-globalization period, a competitive business environment has led to a significant workplace transformation, further leading to changes in the way of working, evolution of technology, introduction of virtual teams and higher workplace expectations. Keeping the consequences of these changes in mind, the present study attempts to look into the issue of work-life balance from a gender perspective with a sample of 140 junior to middle-level managers (76 male and 64 female managers) working in the Indian service industry. This research adopts a mixed method approach, covering both quantitative and qualitative data obtained with the help of an interview schedule. The data obtained has been analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to facilitate cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. The findings reveal that a substantial majority of female managers (67.7%) feel that they are able to balance their work and family life, whereas male managers bring out mixed responses.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

The Relevance of Behavioral Event Interview (BEI) in Selection Processes: A Corporate Sector Study

-- Shaji Kurian, Neuza Ribeiro and Daniel Roque Gomes

The job interview is the tool that is relied on most in making employment decisions. However, intuitive decision making sometimes leads to biases that may cause significant errors in the course of making a decision. So how do you scratch beneath the surface to determine whether a candidate really has what it takes to be a top performer? How to suppress the margin of error when accessing candidates in recruitment and selection processes? This study focuses on examining the relevance of Behavioral Event Interview (BEI) in selection processes by evaluating if BEI is a valid tool to access candidates’ abilities in selection processes. A sample of 60 professionals were selected to integrate an experimental research focused on shedding some light on this research problem. The study seems to support the effectiveness of BEI in predicting the future potential of employees and thereby its relevance as an effective tool of selection.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Work-Family Balance as per Life Stage and Total Experience: An Empirical Study Among Officers of Defense (Central Public Sector Enterprises) in Bangalore

-- Nita Choudhary and Niranjan Kumar Singh

This study deals with the issue of Work-Family Balance (WFB) and how it varies as per life stage and experience. Age and total experience are important factors that impact WFB significantly. In defense, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), the career advancement and promotion are time-based irrespective of outstanding performance put in by the employees. The aim of this paper is how WFB varies as per experience in this organizational setting. The word “work-family balance” is used to include all employed people irrespective of their marital and parental status so that officers can experience a better fit between their professional and personal lives. The study covers various aspects of WFB—work, sleep, family time, management of work and family and commuting. To measure WFB among officers of Bangalore, the researchers developed a 26-item scale to measure various aspects of WFB. The reliability of the scale is discussed. The findings of the study indicate that WFB varies as per age and experience and are important variables influencing WFB significantly.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.