Peters Managing Diversity in Intergovernmental Organisations

1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-3-531-90891-5
Verlag: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 393 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: Business and Management (R0)

Intergovernmental organisations are important instruments in international and global cooperation. Worldwide environmental changes as well as political, cultural, religious and economic conflicts are heightening the importance tremendously. In order to cope with these issues, it is more imperative than ever for intergovernmental organisations to engage in personnel policy on an international scale and to focus on diversity and managing diversity. Human diversity and managing diversity are complex and exciting aspects of organi- tional life and require a great amount of understanding, empathy, openness and interest in new and different things. The diversity within the case study presented in this book allowed different insights and a differentiated assessment of the various diversity and managing diversity concepts in the context of an intergovernmental organisation. As the empirical exploration of these concepts is still in its beginnings, the methodolo- cal experiences and insights gained during the field study were of special relevance for me. This study is a contribution to improving understanding and management of diversity in intergovernmental organisations. It was above all Prof. Dr. Michael Kirk in whom I found a sympathetic listener and who encouraged me at all times. I especially owe him a debt of gratitude for the critical and constructive comments in all stages of the study that significantly contributed to raising its quality. I would also like to express special thanks to Dr. Michael Stephan for agreeing to second mark the thesis.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Peters, Björn

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Diversity Management in Intergovernmental Organisations.- Programmatic Orientation: Personnel Policy as the Embracing Framework.- Diversity and Managing Diversity: Theory and State of the Art.- Research process and empirical proceedings.- Diversity and Managing Diversity in an Intergovernmental Organisation: The Mekong River Commission Case Study.- Diversity and Managing Diversity: Implications for Intergovernmental Organisations.- Résumé and Conclusions.

Leseproben

Krell (1996) notes that ….an analysis of organisations as interest-pluralistic social structures at first leads to an extension of the circle of actors of organisational personnel policy. Even in more recent publications solely executives and management are viewed as actors respectively subjects of personnel management. Von Eckardstein &, Schnellinger (1978) label it the monistic approach. In contrast to the monistic approach they create the pluralistic approach which also views the worker’s representation bodies as actors respectively subjects of corporate personnel policy. Wächter (1990) adds further institutions and persons such as an equal opportunity commissioner as subjects. Furthermore, all personnel are considered not only object but also subject of corporate personnel policy as they influence corporate personnel policy through their representation bodies and other formal and non-formal ways of interest pursuit.

Every position in organisations (including executives) is both subject as well as object of a large number of influence lines that basically go in every direction: You influence and you are being influenced (by) superiors, colleagues, subordinates, staffs, externals and so on. The generally implicit presumption of an executive’s influence monopoly in a direct chain of command is not existent anymore. This view is ultimately essential for a political perspective on organisations and personnel policy and is an important aspect for understanding and working with diversity and Managing Diversity. Von Eckardstein and Schnellinger (1979), Freeman (1984), Donaldson and Preston (1995), and Campbell (1997) point out that external stakeholders also influence personnel policy.

Thus, when identifying possible actors and interests, external stakeholders cannot be neglected. In the present context of IGOs, this aspect is of particular relevance, taking into consideration that certain external stakeholders can directly influence personnel policy by assigning or delegating personnel or applying other means of exertion of power e.g. of financial or political nature. Freeman defines stakeholders as any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the actions, decisions, policies, practices or goals of the organization. A basic premise of the stakeholder concept is that effective corporate management involves achieving and maintaining a balance between the interests of multiple parties that have stake in the organisations objectives. Managing Diversity, which has similar premises and goals, may make a contribution to achieving that balance.

Stakeholders are groups …that have more or less specific expectations or claims to an organisation based on a societal concern, and that try to exert influence on the organisation’s objectives or the means of achievement of objectives either themselves or through third parties.

Furthermore, stakeholders are classified into categories that provide an understanding of how individual stakeholders influence an organisation’s operations. There is debate about the number of categories that should be considered. Some authors argue for eight or ten classes of stakeholders, while others suggest potentially an infinite number of classes. Campbell (1997) distinguishes between active and passive stakeholders. Active stakeholders are those who can affect the performance of the organisation and whose demands are insatiable. The passive stakeholders are all the other stakeholders. They have less active power on the organisation, because they don’t have daily transactions with the organisation.

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Björn A. Peters completed his Ph. D. studies at the Institute for Co-operation in Developing Countries at the University of Marburg in co-operation with the MRC-GTZ Cooperation Programme in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. Currently, Dr. Peters is an assistant to senior management in an international insurance company.