Promoting corporate social responsibility and sustainable development through management development: What can be learned from international service learning programs?

Pless, Nicola M.; Maak, Thomas; Stahl, Günter K.

doi:10.1002/hrm.21506

Cited by 94 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Many organizations, including IBM, United Parcel Service, PwC, and General Mills, seek to enhance their brands through CSR by providing opportunities for employees to work on projects that help underdeveloped, underserved, and impoverished local and global communities and, at the same time, broaden employees' skill sets (for example, see http://www.community.ups.com/ Community/Community1Internship1Program). Pless et al (2012) found that a leadership development program that incorporated international service-learning assignments helped managers to develop the knowledge, skills, and mind-set to support the firm's global sustainability and CSR efforts. Additional research is needed to better understand the benefits of development programs that have a CSR focus, how to maximize those benefits, and the role that learning can play in motivating employees to initiate or participate in such CSR efforts (Aguinis & Glavas 2012).…”

Section: Employment Branding and Social Responsibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning in the Twenty-First-Century Workplace

Noe

Clarke

Klein

2014

Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav.

312

303

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Human capital resources are key for organizations to gain a competitive advantage. Learning based on formal training and development programs, informal learning, and knowledge sharing influences the development of human capital resources. This article provides a selective review of research on learning that occurs in many different forms and at the individual, team, and organizational levels. It is organized around five themes-thinking differently about learning, reconsidering the form and design of learning, facilitating learning in the workplace, expanding the scope of learning outcomes, and improving methodology in learning research. These themes provide a framework for understanding how learning can contribute to the development of human capital resources and organizations' competitive advantage. For each theme, relevant research is reviewed, and limitations and future research directions are provided.

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Section: Employment Branding and Social Responsibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning in the Twenty-First-Century Workplace

Noe

Clarke

Klein

2014

Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav.

312

303

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“…For instance in the case of IBM, thousands of future leaders participate in ISLP. It can be expected that this will have a significant impact on the way executives lead - Pless et al (2011Pless et al ( , 2012 showed that ISLP foster the development of responsible leadership competence -and on organizational change toward sustainability (Millar and Gitsham, 2013). Thus, academic research that provides comparative data on the outcomes of such programs is highly relevant to business practice.…”

Section: Discussion and Suggestions For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first program was set up in 2001 by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Apart from empirical studies of this program (Pless et al, 2011(Pless et al, , 2012) and a few case study descriptions of other programs (Marquis and Kanter, 2009;Stolz et al, 2012;Gitsham, 2012), no systematic investigation of corporate programs using ISA has been undertaken. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of various ISA-based programs, describe their characteristics (objectives, design, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are some empirical studies (e.g. Pless et al, 2011Pless et al, , 2012Marquis and Kanter, 2009;Stolz et al, 2012) on how individuals learn to become better, more responsible leaders through service learning assignments and the benefits are for all parties involved. Other studies have explored both the nature of the outcomes achieved by ISLP and participants' perceptions of what aspects of these programs were most important in achieving these outcomes (Gitsham, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of International Service Learning Programs

Pless

Borecká

2014

Journal of Management Development

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Purpose -International service learning is a new trend in management development and a new field of research. International Service Learning Programs (ISLP) are experiential corporate volunteering initiatives designed to give employees the chance to work for a short spell abroad (often in a developing or emerging market) on a service assignment with a partner from the social sector (e.g. NGO, social enterprise). The service assignment is a project defined with a social-sector partner on which the corporate employee works full-time on a pro-bono basis and contributes his/her knowledge and expertise in exchange for a rich learning experience. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of ISLP in business firms and conducts a comparative analysis of six programs set up by multinational corporations from three industries (health, technology, and accounting and professional services). It identifies characteristics and similarities among programs, discusses differences, offers criteria for program classification and areas for future research. As such, it is an important starting point for quantitative studies. Design/methodology/approach -This is a qualitative study based on six ISLP. The data were gathered through desk research, interviews with program representatives and a structured questionnaire containing closed and open-ended questions. Findings -Regardless of the stated aims (which usually stress value for the participants, the company and the communities), most programs had one clear focus (two programs in the area of leadership development, two in the area of community development) while two showed closely linked foci (with slightly greater emphasis on organization development than on the other areas).Research limitations/implications -The authors suggest that the type of ISLP has an effect on the learning outcomes. Since companies are still testing usefulness and outcomes of these programs, academic research that provides comparative quantitative data on the outcomes of such programs is of great value for business practice. Practical implications -This systematic overview and classification of ISLP is a starting point for empirical program comparisons as well as for the evaluation of different service learning approaches. This could prove very useful for other companies planning to set up or refine their own ISLP to achieve certain outcomes. Originality/value -This is the first paper that compares ISLP run by multinational corporations. It identifies a number of category areas in which they differ (e.g. in placement length, nature of the assignment -individual or in teams, learning methods used) and provides a typology for program classification (leadership development, organization development or community development).

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“…Accordingly, management development is positively related to firm sustainability. Moreover, management development is a potential determinant that supports firms' sustainability (Pless, Maak, & Stahl, 2012). Management development continuously improves firms' working conditions, situations and well-being, which are circumstances that can help create business opportunities, reduce organisational uncertainties and risks, create a competitive advantage, and build valuable outcomes in the current, future and long-term environments.…”

Section: Management Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%