Management School News

The Management School was delighted to host Distinguished Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School, Carey Cooper, CBE at the University here in Sheffield on the 1st of May to share his expertise on the wellbeing agenda.

Professor Cooper is the author and editor of more than 125 books and is one of Britain’s most quoted business gurus.

This special lecture explored the  wellbeing agenda including new pressures that are emerging on people at work during the current times. Professor Cooper also discussed the costs of stress at work and the strategies for dealing with these issues.

The event was well attended and gave interesting topics for discussion amongst staff and students from the Management School and the faculty.

More about Professor Cary Cooper:
As well as Professor at Lancaster University, he is a founding President of the British Academy of Management, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and one of only 5 UK Fellows of the (American) Academy of Management,  President of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and President of RELATE.

Professor Cooper was the Founding Editor of the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Editor of the scholarly journal Stress and Health and is the Editor  (with Professor Chris Argyris of Harvard Business School and Professor Bill Starbuck of New York University as Associate Editors) of the Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Management.

He has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation, ILO, and EU in the field of occupational health research and wellbeing, was Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Chronic Disease of the World Economic Forum (2009-2010) and is Chair of the Academy of Social Sciences (comprising 43 learned societies in the social sciences and over 87,000members). In 2001 he was awarded the CBE by the Queen for his contributions to organisational health and safety.

The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and took place between the 3rd and 10th of November this year. With events from some of the country’s leading social scientists across the UK the festival celebrated the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. The Management School was pleased to  contribute the following events to the festival this year:

Punched from the screen: Workplace cyberbullying

Dr Christine Sprigg, Dr Carolyn Axtell and Sam Farley of  IWP and Dr Iain Coyne of Nottingham University

This event took place on the 7th of November and was concerned with the findings of the school’s recent study of workplace cyberbullying and its employee impact  in a number of university settings.  The study has consequently received international interest from Canada, India, France, and the US. The event was also the launch of the forthcoming research over the next three years with PhD student Sam Farley, who will be partly working on a work-based measure of cyberbullying. Dr Christine Sprigg said:  “Securing the ESRC funding enabled us to make an international media impact but also find high quality and relevant organizational local collaborators for our research going forwards. We are delighted to have been supported by ESRC in this way.”

Who wants to be an entrepreneur?

Dr Peter Rodgers, Dr Rob Wapshott of the Management School

This interactive workshop took place on the 9th of November at Longley Park Sixth Form College, Sheffield. The event was designed to raise awareness of issues relating to entrepreneurship and enterprise, giving students the opportunity to engage with and develop the skills required to set up and sustain business ventures.

Walking the tightrope: Elite performance in humans

Dr Ute Stephan of  IWP , Dr. Paul Thomas of DNAdefinitive and BBC Business Doctor, Andy McCann of Mental Skills Coach to Elite Athletes, Dr Mark Stacey NHS Anaesthetist, Andy Halliday Team GB Manager Men’s Hockey and Sam Brearey current World Sailing Champion and Steve Eaton, MBE, of the Special Forces

The aim of this event organised by the Management School in association with DNA definitive Wales, was to answer and discuss the following questions:

• How can we get the best of out of ourselves and show peak performance when it really matters?
• What is the role of leaders in encouraging high performance – are we perhaps best off getting rid of management altogether?
• Which lessons can we learn from expert entrepreneurs on how to lead for high performance while creating truly innovative organisations?

The event brought together insights from business leaders, sports professionals, fire arms and medical specialists as well as academics and made for lively discussions with participants hailing from business, professional sports, public health, police and fire services and third sector.

Fuel Poverty related illnesses: a preventable plague

Prof. S.C. Lenny Koh – Director of Centre for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES), University of Sheffield  Management School; Councillor Jack Scott – Cabinet Member, Sheffield City Council; Robert Marchand – Doctoral Researcher at CEES, University of Sheffield Management School; Kath McDaid – Project Development Co-ordinator, National Energy Action (NEA); Prof. Angela Tod – Professor of Health Services Research, Sheffield Hallam University; Kath Horner – Health Improvement Principle, NHS Sheffield; Jo Butcher – Health and Fuel Poverty Advisor, Friends of the Earth.

Attended by 50 delegates ranging from Cabinet Members,  Local Authority figures, Department of Health and  NHS representatives, third sector organisation and university associates, this event took place on the 6th of November in Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield. The event stimulated debate and discussion around the challenges of fuel poverty and how this impacts on health.  The event builds upon the BIG Energy Upgrade project (BEU), which The University of Sheffield is one of 14 partners including 6 Local Authorities, 4 ALMOs, 2 Social Housing Providers and Yorkshire Energy Services, which has received £14.9m funding of which £7m has been provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The BEU project targets deprived communities in Yorkshire & Humber and it aims to tackle fuel poverty and at the same time aims to stimulate business development and create job opportunities for those living in the targeted communities.

Coping with Austerity

Professor Jason Heyes University of Sheffield Management School, Dr Kevin Farnsworth from the University of Sheffield Department of Sociological Studies, Alan  Fraser Chief Executive of Birmingham YMCA

Taking place on the 9th of November at the Holy Trinity School in Barnsley, the primary aim of this event was to raise awareness of the consequences and potential consequences of the current government’s austerity measures, particularly in relation to their impact on the life chances and labour market experiences of young people. The event was also intended to demonstrate to the audience the value of social science research.  More than 40 young people between the ages of 16 and 18, including students from Holy Trinity, Sir Thomas Wharton Community College in Doncaster and Thomas Rotherham College in Rotherham attended the event. There were three presentations discussing potential alternative means of dealing with government debt,  the impact of spending and benefits cuts on homelessness,  and whether weaker employment protections are likely to lead to improvements in the employment opportunities available to young people and their ability to access good quality jobs.

Further information:

• The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. This celebration of the social sciences takes place across the UK – via public debates, conferences, workshops, interactive seminars, film screenings, virtual exhibitions and much more. This is the tenth year that ESRC has held the Festival of Social Science and each year the Festival grows from strength to strength.
  Visit: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/
• The Big Energy Upgrade is a regional flagship project addressing the priority needs of both reduction in carbon emissions and the creation of jobs. To address the issues in an integrated approach the University of Sheffield has brought together a multidisciplinary team of academics working alongside Local Authorities, ALMOs, social housing providers and an energy services company. The Big Energy Upgrade, is delivered by a consortium of local authorities and social housing providers, led by Kirklees Council, is a very ambitious project as, for the first time in the UK, the Partners will work together in adopting a fully integrated, whole-house approach while installing energy efficiency measures and micro generation technologies in households. Through individual household assessments the project will identify a highly individual package of measures for each of the households and which will provide optimal insulation and energy control to the house.
  Visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/bigenergyupgrade

Staff and students from IWP pictured with Tata Steel Representatives on a recent site visit

Over 30 students and staff from IWPrecently visited Tata Steel Speciality. The visit included a detailed tour of operations at the Rotherham site, and presentation from key personnel. The main aims of company site visits are to improve graduate connections with potential employers and to build on relationships to increase career opportunities for our students.

Caroline Vis, Human Resources Graduate, Tata Steel Speciality, provided a presentation to the students on the day regarding her role in the organisation as a new graduate:

“Bearing in mind that I was in their position 18 months ago, I really enjoyed talking to the students and showing them around site. The visit was a great opportunity to inform the students about who we are (especially as we have recently rebranded), what our products are and the types of markets we supply into.”

The students also found the visit very informative and interesting. Rosemarie Tate, MSc Student Representative:

“Sheffield has an international reputation for steel making, both historically and in the present day. The long history of the steel industry meant that the site visit to TATA steel allowed us to see how and when occupational psychology principles have been applied in the past and how they are applied in the modern world in an industrial setting. This was backed up by a presentation given by an occupational psychology graduate working in the HR department at TATA, who explained to us how she applies occupational psychology in her job at the company. The detailed tour of the Rotherham site allowed us to observe aspects of the work systems and human factors module in practise, such as; human/machine interaction, working conditions, and shift work patterns; adding a greater sense of realism to our learning. We all had an interesting and enjoyable morning, though some were more taken with the safety attire we were required to wear than others!”

IWP would like to thank Tata Steel for taking the time and effort to host our MSc students.

Congratulations to Kate Bonsall Clarke, an alumna of the Institute of Work Psychology (IWP), on winning the coveted Practitioner of the Year Award for Occupational Psychology.

This prestigious award is granted by the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology, and is annually awarded to a Chartered Psychologist who demonstrates excellence in the practical application of Occupational Psychology.

Kate received the award for her work with the Rail Safety and Standards Board, where she developed, implemented, and evaluated a programme for non-technical skills training for train drivers in the British rail industry.

Almuth McDowall, Chair-Elect of the Division of Occupational Psychology, commended Kate’s work as standing out from others in the shortlist, in that it evaluated its effect at the individual, team and organisational level.  Such an evaluation approach was inspired by the work of Dr Kamal Birdi, a researcher at the world-leading IWP, and one of Kate’s lecturers during her Masters course.

Cyberbullying through e-mail, text and web posts is as common in the workplace as conventional bullying but even more difficult to uncover, research by experts from the University of Sheffield has revealed.

Occupational psychologists Dr Christine Sprigg, Dr Carolyn Axtell and Sam Farley of the University of Sheffield, together with Dr Iain Coyne of the University of Nottingham, turned the focus of their investigation onto cyberbullying of adult workers, instead of younger people in schools, for which more research has taken place.

The results of their research will be revealed at a seminar during the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) annual Festival of Social Science at an event in the Showroom Workstation, Paternoster Row, on Wednesday 7 November 2012 from 5pm until 8pm.

The team will also make suggestions on how employers should tackle and prevent cyberbullying in the workplace. Researchers believe that cyberbullying will become more important as communication technologies continue to evolve and become more widespread.

The study included three separate surveys among employees in several UK universities, asking people about their experiences of cyberbullying in the workplace.

Survey respondents were given a list of what can be classed as bullying, such as being humiliated, ignored or gossiped about, and were asked if they had faced such behaviour online and how often.

Of the 320 people who responded to the survey, around eight out of ten had experienced one of the listed cyberbullying behaviours on at least one occasion in the previous six months.

The results also showed 14 to 20 per cent experienced them at least once a week – a similar rate to conventional bullying. The research team also examined the impact of cyberbullying on workers’ mental strain and wellbeing.

“Our research showed that cyberbullying has a stronger negative impact on employee mental strain and job satisfaction than traditional, face to face bullying does,” said Dr Axtell.

The research team also found that the impact of witnessing cyberbullying was different than that seen for conventional bullying.

“In more traditional, face to face bullying, seeing someone else being bullied also has a negative impact on the wellbeing of the witness,” said Dr. Sprigg. “However, we didn’t find the same negative effect for those who said they had witnessed others being cyberbullied.

“This might be because we are less aware of other people’s reactions online, and so the witnesses might not empathise so much with the victims. This could potentially mean that they are less likely to intervene,” Dr Axtell added.

The results of the research, which was partly funded by Sheffield University Management School, will be presented at a seminar to business representatives. “We believe our research will likely have implications for the way that employers formulate policies and guidelines relating to cyberbullying, and the seminar will be an opportunity for us to discuss our findings and learn about the experiences of other employers,” Dr Coyne said.

Contact

For further information please contact:

Paul Mannion
Media Relations Officer
The University of Sheffield
0114 222 9851
p.f.mannion@sheffield.ac.uk

We are looking to appoint a University Teacher to contribute to teaching in IWP and related areas. The successful applicant will have expertise and experience in the development and delivery of teaching and learning in a higher education context.

Apply

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs

We are looking for two high-achieving Lecturers to join the Institute of Work Psychology. We are especially interested in the areas of work systems/human-machine interaction, and leadership/teamwork. However, we are also open to candidates in other areas of work psychology, so if you are an ambitious and accomplished work psychology academic who specialises in other topics we would welcome your application.
The successful applicant will take a pro-active role in enhancing the Management School’s reputation for high quality and innovative teaching and research. Applications are therefore invited from candidates capable of delivering (i) first class research which combines theoretical sophistication with practical relevance, and (ii) an excellent student experience at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Applicants will hold a PhD in a relevant area (or have equivalent experience), will have teaching experience and evidence of the ability to produce high quality research publications, and have a demonstrable interest in developing teaching and research.

Apply

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs

This seminar is in association with CIPD South Yorkshire Branch and the University of Sheffield Management School.

Date: 14 November 2012
Time: 5.30 to 7.30pm
Venue: Boardroom, ICOSS, Sheffield
To register: Please contact Kelly Walker: 0114 23433 or K.Walker@sheffield.ac.uk

About the seminar
Dr Ute Stephan at the Institute of Work Psychology at the Management School, will deliver this session, providing an overview of current trends in leadership including the evolving concepts of authentic, ethical and servant leadership as well as leading with meaning. The session will then look at the more strategic view on leadership and discuss what we can learn from leadership research on expert entrepreneurs as well as elaborating on the implications for leadership training and development. The session will be interactive and provide opportunities for participants to reflect on their experience.

For further information about CIPD visit http://www.cipd.co.uk/

The Management School is pleased to announce further success at the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences.

Date: 8 November 2012
Time: 9am-5pm
Venue: The Edge, The University of Sheffield, Endcliffe
To register: Click here to register your free place at the seminar

This one-day symposium explores how to create effective people, teams and organisations by drawing on the shared expertise and experience of a group of exceptional performers from the worlds of sport, medicine, specialist security and business.

Speakers include:

• Andy McCann, Sam Brearey, Andy Halliday, – from the World of Elite Sport
• Mark Stacey – Consultant Anaesthetist, NHS
• Dr Paul Thomas – BBC Business Doctor, Leadership and Research Fellow in Complexity in Practice
• Keri Jones – HR Advisor
• Dr Ute Stephan – Expert in leadership from the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield
• Neil Francombe and Steve Eaton – Specialist forces and firearms command

Who should attend?
This event is aimed at local and national businesses.

Further information

The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council and takes place from 3-10 November 2012. With events from some of the country’s leading social scientists, the Festival celebrates the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. This year’s Festival of Social Science has over 180 creative and exciting events across the UK to encourage businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. Press releases detailing some of the varied events and a full list of the programme are available at the Festival website. You can now follow updates from the Festival on twitter using #esrcfestival

The Management School is pleased to announce the Institute of Work Psychology has successfully secured funding for an ESRC event as part of the Festival of Social Sciences.

Date: 7 November 2012
Time: 5-8pm
Venue: Showroom 5, Showroom Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX
To register: Click here to register your free place at the seminar

This seminar forms part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science.  Dr Christine Sprigg, Dr Carolyn Axtell and Sam Farley (all at the Institute of Work Psychology (IWP), Management School) and Dr Iain Coyne (at the Institute of Work, Health & Organisations (I-WHO), University of Nottingham), will outline the findings of their recent research in this seminar entitled ‘Punched from the screen: Cyberbullying in the workplace.’

The study, one of the first on workplace cyberbullying in the UK, explores the prevalence, impact and frequency of cyberbullying amongst 320 university staff members.

Who should attend?
This event is aimed at local and national businesses.

Further information:

The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council and takes place from 3-10 November 2012. With events from some of the country’s leading social scientists, the Festival celebrates the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. This year’s Festival of Social Science has over 180 creative and exciting events across the UK to encourage businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. Press releases detailing some of the varied events and a full list of the programme are available at the Festival website. You can now follow updates from the Festival on twitter using #esrcfestival