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This report examines the role of social economy organisations [SEOs], broadly defined as co-operatives, mutuals, associations and foundations, in the provision of employment, and how they have fared during the recent period of economic turbulence. Attention was also paid to SEOs working with vulnerable individuals, either as direct providers of jobs, or providers of training and services designed to help vulnerable individuals into the mainstream labour market. In particular, the research sought to gain greater understanding of working conditions within these SEOs, and the challenges they faced in providing high quality employment while having to keep costs low in order to operate in competitive markets.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The chapters are as follows: Part one, 'Job creation through the social economy and social entrepreneurship': Introduction; The social economy; The contribution of the social economy to employment; Methodology; Overview of the cases; Employment creation by the social economy organisations; Social economy organisations working with vulnerable groups; Policy interventions and conclusions. Part two, 'Territorial data': Introduction; Tasmania, Australia; Western Sydney, Australia; Flanders, Belgium; British Columbia, Canada; Quebec, Canada; Bourgogne, France; Bretagne, France; Lombardia, Italy; Puglia, Italy; Luxembourg; Regiunea Centru, Romania; Regiunea Sud Est, Romania; Ostergotland, Sweden; Vastra Gotaland, Sweden. Show less

This paper has two objectives. One is to clarify the aims of the government’s formulation of policies concerning work-life balance after the Equality Act entered into force and the intentions of companies in introducing systems relating to work-life balance; the other is to consider whether or not policies concerning work-life balance have had any effect on women’s participation in the labor market, using both macro- and micro-level data to examine this question. As a result, the following has become clear. Firstly, the government’s main measures to promote a better work-life balance were implemented as measures to counter the declining birth rate. The vast majority of companies provide support for achieving compatibility between work and child rearing as part of their efforts to make a contribution to society.

However, around two-thirds of companies have implemented measures to support achieving compatibility between work and family with the expectation that this will improve the motivation of female workers and increase their retention within the company. Secondly, over the last 20 years, the female attrition rate due to marriage has declined considerably and the level of female retention, as seen in terms of the proportion of women among long-standing staff members, has increased. At the same time, women’s relative wage has also risen. Moreover, since 2000, the employment rate among women with preschool-age children has risen, as has the proportion of female managers. However, the rise in the relative wage of women is very sluggish. Thirdly, comparing individual companies, the more assiduous the senior management at a company is about measures to promote a better work-life balance, the higher the level of female retention, and the higher the level of female retention, the more successful women are in a company.

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Governments regulate and control organizations, yet their role in determining organizational legitimacy is largely unexamined. In the changing Canadian post-secondary landscape, legitimacy is an increasingly important issue for post-secondary institutions as they compete amongst themselves for access to ever-shrinking resources. Using an institutional theory framework, [the authors] analyze two examples of government policy and legislation relating to the organizational legitimacy of Canadian post-secondary institutions. Based on this analysis, [the authors] suggest a more nuanced understanding of the effects of government's coercive power on organizational legitimacy.

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From the sociologic perspective, people are not rational-economic, but instead social. As a consequence, social capital will have significant effects on organizational performance. However, there is no consistent conclusion about the relationship between social capital and its effects on performance, even no systematic, wildly accepted definition about social capital. The aim of this article is to explore the general meanings and dimensions of social capital, and review the influences and effects of social capital on organizational performance at the individual level, network level, and organizational level from the personal network perspective.

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In this article, the author observes that many Indigenous employment initiatives focus on achieving target numbers, often resulting in programs with strong emphasis on the creation of entry level positions but limited career progression. The argument is made that if employers develop quality programs and opportunities that support Indigenous employees to succeed, they will attract greater numbers of talented candidates. Three insights for organisations to consider when developing sustainable employment opportunities for Indigenous people are outlined: (1) lead from the top so that resources needed to drive long-term change are more likely to be available; (2) set the vision and define the business case underpinning the opportunities within the employment initiative; and (3) work in partnership to implement initiatives and ensure the right support is in place for Indigenous employees to succeed. Some examples of successful organisational initiatives are used to illustrate these insights.

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This article takes a psychological perspective on organisational learning, putting reflection into the centre of attention. We argue that (1) organisational learning is based on individual and team learning at work, (2) reflection is the driving force that leads to organisational learning and (3) cumulation of the staff's reflection outcomes allows for integration of individual and team learning into organisational best practice. Building on a vast amount of theory in this area, we provide a refined psychological model of the socio-cognitive processes of reflective learning within organisations including the initiation and the termination of reflection. Further, we discuss in depth the role of reflection for organisational learning in the light of recent theories of organisational learning.

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There is little information in Aotearoa New Zealand about how women are represented across the Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS), despite the fact that the sector's voluntary and paid workforce is heavily dominated by women. This pilot study starts efforts to rectify this and gathers information, in a New Zealand context, about the representation of women in this sector. The study was conducted between December 2012 and March 2013. Data was collected via telephone interviews with 48 leaders (male and female) from a range of New Zealand CVS organisations.

In contrast to the UK findings on which this study was based, a key finding to emerge is that in this sample of organisations women are well-represented in leadership and governance positions. Two other key findings are of note. Firstly, the lack of representation of women from a range of ethnic groups in the leadership of the surveyed organisations is notable, with the exception of those organisations whose role is related to the provision of refugee and migrant services. Secondly, it is notable that women in the leadership positions of the surveyed organisations carry out a wide range of roles, and undertake multi-dimensional tasks in their organisations. While managing an organisation is generally seen as being a discrete function, the small size of many CVS organisations in New Zealand means that out of necessity, managers are also required to undertake a wide range of other functions, including budgeting, communications, and service delivery.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less