Events
Past Events
Seminar: Professor Juha Vartola
On the 28th March 2011, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Juha Vartola, Professor of Administrative Science at the Department of Management, University of Tampere, Finland. The title of the seminar was:‘Administrative Reform Rhetoric: Some Remarks on New Public Management and Decentralization from Bangladesh and Nepal’.
During the opening section of his seminar, Professor Vartola described the concepts of decentralization and New Public Management (NPM) from theoretical perspectives and then proceeded to explore their implementation in two South Asian countries, Bangladesh and Nepal. He argued that recent decentralization policies of these two countries are merely a modified form of the old policies and suggested that both countries have firmly emphasized the structural and principal part of decentralization. Based on available literature and ground realities, Professor Vartola summarised his analysis as follows: (1) that it is difficult to introduce or implement decentralization policy in societies which have a long colonial tradition with highly centralized administrative system. Decentralization is not necessarily a universal means for promoting democratic and developmental objectives for developing nations; (2) Administrative reform or change depends on many factors. In all cases the change needs massive political support and legitimization; (3) there is no reason to believe that NPM models can help to improve the implementation of decentralization policies effectively and efficiently. NPM rhetoric can, however, provide temptation for those in power because it can help to create the illusion of better governance. In addition, since a fundamental part of NPM thinking involves managerialism, the growing power of managers, decentralization in the sense of NPM can also mean diminishing the democracy in the local institutions.
Professor Vartola’s seminar was well received by the audience. We are extremely grateful to him for travelling to the UK and making this valuable and topical contribution to our seminar series.
Seminar: Professor Jim Stewart
On the 17th February 2011, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Jim Stewart, Professor of Human Resource Development at Leeds Business School UK. He is also chair of the University Forum HRD and CIPD Chief Examiner for Learning and Development. The title of the seminar was: ‘The Direction of Future Research in HRD’.
The main aim of Professor Stewart’s seminar paper was to speculate on and attempt to predict the direction of future research in Human Resource Development. In addressing this aim during the seminar, he drew on both normative and empirical observations. One key element of Professor Stewart’s analysis was to explore similar speculations made by authors in various key HRD texts published over the last fifteen years or so. In performing this analysis, a key emergent theme of the presentation was to assess the extent of the connections and impact of academic research with and on professional practice in HRD over the same period.
The seminar was well attended and Professor Stewart’s lively interaction with the audience of international scholars was particularly appreciated by those present. We are extremely grateful to him for making this important contribution to our seminar series.
Seminar: Professor Paul Collins
On the 9th November 2010, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Paul Collins, Special Professor of Public Administration at Nottingham University, UK and Senior Hon. Fellow, International Development Dept., University of Birmingham. The title of the seminar was: ‘BRICS and Mortar: Perspectives on the Global Governance Architecture’.
When introducing his seminar presentation, Professor Collins highlighted that the four ‘Bric’ countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are often held up as a potential new force in international governance and development. He outlined the fact that the Bric countries hold independent views on approaches to dealing with global public goods and are considerably differentiated in terms of history, institutions, politics, society, and economy.
In his presentation, Professor Collins argued that, despite this independence and differentiation, there are nevertheless a number of important communalities among these four countries. These include common challenges in the search for effective state policy, management capacity and governance, and the building blocks required for becoming a truly ‘smart’ state. His arguments focused in particular in Brazil and China with further comparisons, in terms of issues such as pluralism and poverty, made between India and Russia.
Professor Collins presented his work to a packed auditorium. We are extremely grateful to him for his valuable contribution to our seminar series.
Seminar: Professor David Hulme
On the 10th March 2010, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by David Hulme, Professor in Development Studies and Director of the Chronic Poverty Research Centre at the University of Manchester. The title of the seminar was:‘The Making of the Millennium Development Goals: Human Development Meets Results-based Management in an Imperfect World’. During his seminar presentation, Professor Hulme proposed that two ideas, that is, ‘Results-based Management’ and ‘Human Development’, have been particularly significant in shaping the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He argued that, although these two ideas which have emerged from domains such as organisational theory, economics and philosophy, are unlikely intellectual bedfellows, their many influences can be demonstrated by charting the evolution of the MDGs.
Professor Hulme proceeded to highlight that these two ideas are not the only factors that have shaped the MDGs; the influence of many different actors were revealed in his account. Thus, his research suggests that when the implementation of these ideas has challenged the interests of powerful groups or nations, the principles underlying them were compromised or assiduously avoided. He concluded that the relative coherence of the MDGs seems remarkable, given the processes from which they emerged – perhaps suggesting that the ‘Hiding Hand’ that Albert Hirschman identified 40 years ago guides some elements of global public policy over the long term. In the closing session, Professor Hulme responded to a wide range of questions on subjects such as the influence of military action on the achievement of the MDGs, political interference in the implementation of MDG strategies, and the problems attached to global approaches to poverty reduction.
The seminar attracted a great deal of interest as reflected by the large number of delegates. We are extremely grateful to Professor Hulme for his valuable contribution to our seminar series.
Presentation: The Development of a Nongovernmental Organisation - The Case of Carolina for Kibera
On 3rd March 2010, members of COD facilitated a presentation which explored the development and management of a nongovernmental organisation, Carolina for Kibera (CFK), in a demanding Kenyan urban context. The session was led by the founders of the organisation, Salim Mohamed, a Kenyan community organiser, project leader and former CEO of CFK, who is currently pursuing MSc studies in the Management and Implementation of Development Projects in IDPM and Rye Barcott, a former American Marine, currently writing an account of his past nine years’ experience in organisation development, juxtaposing his humanitarian and military service.
Emphasising the importance of values and trust as well as cooperation with other organizations, Mohamed and Barcott told a fascinating story of the triumph of patience and perseverance over adversity in the development of the CFK organisation, which, over the past eight years in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, has become increasingly able to deliver effective leadership programmes through sports activities, offering real alternatives to ethnic, gender and religious violence, and also to provide a unique health facility in the district - employing partnerships with the state, the University of North Carolina and private funding organisations, such as the Ford Foundation. The well illustrated presentation led to a lively question and answer exchange which fully engaged the varied interests of the large audience.
We extend our thanks for this informative presentation to Salim Mohamed, Rye Barcott and the Carolina for Kibera team. Thanks also to Paul Barry for chairing the presentation.
Seminar: Professor Frank McDonald
On the 24th February 2010, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Frank McDonald, Professor of International Business at Bradford University School of Management and Chair of the Academy of International Business UK and Ireland Chapter. The title of the seminar was: ‘Social Networks and Autonomy and the Performance of Foreign Subsidiaries in Competitive City Regions’.
During the seminar, Professor McDonald explained how his work integrated various aspects of International Business and Economic Geography theory in order to explore relationships between performance and autonomy and networks for foreign owned subsidiary organisations. In order to illustrate his approach, he presented research findings from a study he and his colleagues undertook in Denmark. The study highlighted the relative importance of social networks and autonomy for subsidiary organisations operating in highly competitive city environments. Professor McDonald, proceeded to discuss the implications of his work for city regeneration and development in developing economies such as India and China. In a lively conclusion, he responded to a range of questions which covered subjects such as the influence of local and national culture on networking and autonomy, the potential relevance of the work to public sector organisations, and factors that MNCs take into account when deciding whether to invest in a developing country.
We are extremely grateful to Professor McDonald for his valuable contribution to our seminar series.
Seminar: Dr Annie Medcalf
On the 4th December 2009, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Dr Annie Medcalf who is the Managing Director of the Fusion Firm. The title of the seminar was: ‘A Programme of Organisational Change in a Government Bi-lateral Aid Agency’s Offices in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lesson Learning from a Case Study’.
In the seminar, Dr Medcalf drew attention to current conceptual debates surrounding the aid agenda and the increasingly loud voices questioning its efficacy. Despite the existence of these debates, she emphasised that the day to day organisational activities of designing and delivering government aid, directly to governments through budget support or to recipients through programmes, continue. Dr Medcalf proceeded to present talk a detailed case study of a regional bi-lateral aid agency office which, while it has increased its aid budget significantly, has decreased its headcount considerably, realigned its skill base, attempted to develop sustainability through the development of local staff, become more aware of issues of diversity, embedded new ways of working and increased morale.
This well attended seminar offered a fascinating blend of theory and real world organisation development practice. We are grateful to Dr Medcalf providing this clear and informative input to our seminar series.
Seminar: Professor Christian Chocat
On the 26th November 2009, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Professor Christian Chocat from Paris Sorbonne University. The title of the seminar was: ‘The Contribution of the Human Resources Function in Times of Global Crisis: A French Perspective’.
The first section of Professor Chocat’s presentation highlighted the intense international scrutiny that has been placed on the contribution of organisations’ Human Resources functions in the wake of recent global economic events. Drawing on his research and his experience in positions such as Global Head of HR of Paribas Capital Markets, he explored the role and contribution of HR with reference to issues such as the social and economic outlook for France, age-distribution pension systems, the cost of national insurance schemes, long-term unemployment, trade unions, and work-related stress. In the second section of the presentation, Professor Chocat focused on the impact of the global crisis on international assignments. In the context of this crisis, he explored a number of ways in which HR professionals are currently managing compensation packages for expatriates and international assignees working in both developed and developing country contexts.
The interest in the seminar, as reflected by the high level of attendance, provided an indication of the topicality of this subject which was broached in an authoritative and practical manner by Professor Chocat.
Seminar: Dr Ashish Dwivedi
On 17th November 2009, the Centre for Organisations in Development, hosted a seminar led by Dr Ashish Dwivedi from the University of Hull, UK. The seminar was entitled: ‘The Viability of the Knowledge-Based Economic Paradigm: A Case Study of the Indian Economy’.
During the seminar, Dr Dwivedi reviewed two key management philosophies, that is, Strategic Management (SM) and Knowledge Management (KM). He proceeded to discuss their evolution, distinguishing features and their interrelationships, particularly in respect of the organisational implications of the convergence between SM and KM. Using the case of the Indian economy, he argued that merely recognising the existence of new or novel management paradigms does not guarantee success in the workplace; however, given the globalisation of the market place, not understanding different management philosophies or applying older age economic models may cause managerial problems in the future, particularly for developing countries like India.
The seminar was well attended and concluded with a lively and thought-provoking question and answer session.
Presentation: David Blunt
On 27th March 2009, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a joint event with the Herbert Simon Institute, the public sector research centre based within Manchester Business School. The event, entitled ‘Achieving Kosovo's independence, then making it work: practical aspects on the ground’ led by David Blunt, David Blunt was the first Ambassador of any country to be accredited to the newly independent Kosovo in February 2007. He is currently HM Ambassador in Croatia (since October 2008), but prior to that was Head of the UK's Mission in Kosovo from January 2006 to April 2008. He arrived in Pristina two days before the death of President Rugova and played a central role in the UK's and wider international community's handling of the process designed to settle Kosovo's status which culminated in Kosovo's co-ordinated declaration of independence in February 2008.
Seminar: Dr Nilima Gulrajani
On 25th March 2009, the Centre for Organisations in Development, hosted a seminar led by Dr Nilima Gulrajani from the London School of Economics.
Dr Gulrajani’s seminar explored the future of development management. She argued that development management is increasingly being linked to discussions of aid effectiveness and noted that the common refrain is that aid organisations can solve their woes by importing techniques from corporate spheres of work in line with New Public Management thinking. Development management is presented as an impartial science that has at its disposal tools that control, engineer and direct the development process in multiple locations, eventually demonstrating cost effective results. The seminar explored whether there is an alternative. For example, what should the future of development management look like? What shape can it feasibly take? Dr Gulrajani offered a more positive vision for the future, one where aid organisations can believe not only in the desirability but also in the ability of generating improved livelihoods without the wholehearted import of managerialism.
Seminar: Professor David Leonard
On 4th December 2008, the Centre for Organisations in Development, hosted a seminar led by Professor David Leonard from the Institute of Development Studies and formerly Dean of International and Area Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
In the seminar, Professor Leonard explored how and why ‘pockets of effective agencies’ are able to emerge in countries that have poor governance and weak public sectors. Professor Leonard summarised literature on this subject and highlighted the very large number of hypotheses that have been generated about what the political processes at work might be. Professor Leonard proceeded to condense these hypotheses into five sets of mega-hypotheses associated with management and leadership, the structure of work, process issues, political institutions, and the underlying political economy. The presentation was followed by a lively questions and answer session.Seminar: Professor Richard Batley
On 18th April 2008, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Professor Richard Batley. The seminar focused upon the relationship of government with organisations that are non-state service providers.
Dr. Richard Batley is Professor of Development Administration at the International Development Department of the University of Birmingham. He specialises in governance issues, especially the role of government and the relationships between government and non-governmental organisations. Dr. Batley is also the Director of the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC), a knowledge management service for DFID's governance, social development and conflict advisers.
Seminar: Dr. Scott M. Thomas
On 11th April 2008, the Centre for Organisations in Development hosted a seminar led by Dr Scott M. Thomas. The seminar was entitled: “What does it mean to take religion seriously in International Development?”
Dr. Thomas lectures in international relations and the politics of developing countries in the Department of European Studies and the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath. His most recent book is The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: The Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century (Palgrave, 2005).
Seminar: Dr. Aminu Mamman, IDPM, University of Manchester
On 12th September 2007, the Centre for Organisations in Development, hosted a seminar led by Dr. Aminu Mamman, IDPM, University of Manchester.
In the seminar, Dr. Mamman focused on the individual perspective on the study of globalization. Using a sample of “informed” Nigerians from the banking sector, the presentation focussed on the managerial and organization cognition literature to demonstrate how individual action of policy-makers toward globalization can be explained by their interpretation of what globalization means to them. The presentation draws attention to how national social and economic policies can be predicted, explained and understood through the rent-seeking behaviour policymakers. However, the paper argues that, to understand rent-seeking behaviour of policymakers, one has to understand how policymakers interpret globalization. The paper concludes by drawing implications for policy formulation and implementations in Africa and in developing countries at large.
Seminar: Professor Debi Saini, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India
On 19th July 2007, the Centre for Organisations in Development, in collaboration with Manchester Business School, hosted a seminar led by Professor Debi Saini from the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India.
In the seminar, Professor Saini presented a paper entitled ‘Globalisation, Development and Trade Unions: Some Lessons from a Case Study in India’. The presentation provided a fascinating insight into Labour Relations and HRM practices in India. Having explained the development of Industrial Relations systems in India, Professor Saini proceeded to use the case of Honda (HMSI) to explore causal factors and outcomes associated with the politics of trade unionism in modern-day India. The presentation was wide-ranging and examined issues such as regulatory labour relations mechanisms, the role of the State in the labour market, the conflicting agendas of trade union officials, and the protection of workers’ rights. The presentation was followed by a lively question and answer session. Above all, the seminar revealed something of the complexities of labour conflict and its resolution in organisations that are operating in highly politicised contexts in developing countries.
We are indebted to Professor Saini for presenting his work to us, especially in such a lucid manner. Thanks also to Professor Fang Lee Cooke of Manchester Business School for facilitating the event./p>
Seminar: Professor Ken Kamoche, City University, Hong Kong
On 4th June 2007, the Centre for Organisations in Development, hosted a seminar led by Professor Ken Kamoche from Hong Kong City University.
In the seminar, Professor Kamoche presented a paper entitled “Toward a New Theoretical Perspective for Understanding Management Innovations In Africa”. The presentation focussed on the theoretical dimensions of the adoption of management innovation in organizations with special reference to African context. In particular, the paper used a multidisciplinary approach to explain the adoption and modification of management innovation both at organizational and individual level. The presentation drew attention to the inadequate literature on indigenous African management ideas. This generated discussion on whether African management ideas do exist and if so why it has not been documented. The paper has significant implications for policy formulation and implementations in Africa and in developing countries at large.
We greatly appreciate Professor Kamoche contribution to our seminar series.