Paddy O'Toole | Monash University (original) (raw)
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Books by Paddy O'Toole
This book is a useful how-to guide for research students seeking to understand what they are supp... more This book is a useful how-to guide for research students seeking to understand what they are supposed to be doing. The book is short, succinct and in plain English. Carry it with you to the library, have it there when you are writing.
You can purchase an e-copy for under $5 at:
https://www.amazon.com/Building-your-argument-postgraduate-writing-ebook/dp/B00HTP1XG4
How do organizations remember? Remembering is a problematic issue for organizations. To remember ... more How do organizations remember? Remembering is a problematic issue for organizations. To remember too little is to forget the lessons of the past and to duplicate past effort; to remember too much is to lose flexibility and the ability to innovate (Stein, 1995; Weick, 1979a). In addition, employees may remember what organizational leaders never speak of, or lessons of the past that are useful for the future may be forgotten. Memory or knowledge retention is a significant component of organizational learning and knowledge management, but may also block innovation when old knowledge obstructs the retention of new learning. The hapless manager described in the above vignette is being confronted by a series of problems involving the retention of knowledge, or lack of it, in his organization. Knowledge retention can be a strategic issue, such as a new organizational-wide computer system or a tactical one such as an agreement with a supplier.
Papers by Paddy O'Toole
Qualitative Research Journal, 2008
Abstract: Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater i... more Abstract: Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater insight into organisational culture, leadership and health. These insights should be considered when organisational change is needed to improve effectiveness. This paper examines a ...
Armed Forces & Society, 2011
... One soldier told of how she was left stranded in a strange city after a ... Indeed, tapping i... more ... One soldier told of how she was left stranded in a strange city after a ... Indeed, tapping into the social network was often regarded as being a more efficient and expeditious way ... system, endorsed and resourced by Army leadership, the learning system is more ''bottomÀup,'' having ...
Higher Education Research & Development, 2014
Qualitative Report
The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern... more The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern, both nationally and at university level. At the same time, teaching undergraduate science requires universities to invest in laboratories, staff and equipment to meet the initial demand of enrolling students. In this article, I discuss participant-generated video as an innovative method of research used in a study to extend understanding about the experience of science students’ experience in an Australian university. In this paper, I present the methods and practices used to explore the experience of a selected number of undergraduate science students, using a phenomenological approach. Students used video cameras to record their daily experiences and their commentaries on these over the course of a semester. This method of data collection presented interesting issues related to ethics, the underlying organization of the design, and the way the students engaged as participant-research...
This article originally appeared in Training & Development magazine June 2015 Vol 42 No 3, publis... more This article originally appeared in Training & Development magazine June 2015 Vol 42 No 3, published by the Australian Institute of Training and Development. It sets out considerations for people are debating whether to enrol in a PhD
This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle o... more This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle of the Bach Dang River, which took place in 1288 AD. This paper shows how memory, intangible and tangible cultural heritage, and landscape have manifested around where the battle took place and have synthesised through the social production of remembering into a model of commemoration that informs cultural values at the local and national levels. I argue that the elements and interactions of this model need to be acknowledged and understood when planning future development.
Keywords: collective memory, cultural heritage, landscape
This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle o... more This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle of the Bach Dang River, which took place in 1288 AD. This paper shows how memory, intangible and tangible cultural heritage, and landscape have manifested around where the battle took place and have synthesised through the social production of remembering into a model of commemoration that informs cultural values at the local and national levels. I argue that the elements and interactions of this model need to be acknowledged and understood when planning future development.
"This article reports on an investigation that contributes to the understanding of social and org... more "This article reports on an investigation that contributes to the understanding of social and organizational learning in the military. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with over 150 Army personnel in the Australian Army. Analysis revealed that perceived learning opportunities were shaped, enabled, and constrained by a variety
of social, cultural, structural, and process-related imperatives. This was manifested through two learning systems: (1) a formal learning system directly managed by the organization and (2) an informal system that was fostered through strong social networks and driven by the organizational culture. From this investigation, we posit a social theory of learning, which encompasses sharing knowledge and experience through social interaction. This article concludes by arguing that the learning systems approach taken in this article is a useful and practical method of evaluating the organizational learning mechanisms in a military organization."
Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achiev... more Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achieving organisational innovation and learning. Organisations that encourage risk-taking generally have higher levels of innovation and adaptation. Conversely, organisations that discourage risk-taking have reduced levels of innovation and adaptation. Indeed, innovation and adaptation can be considered as hallmarks of learning organisations.
The research study described in this paper investigates the nature of the effects of governance and risk management measures within the Australian Army particularly with regard to their impact on learning. Analysis revealed that policies associated with corporate governance designed to manage risk were viewed as problematic by participants. Although rules and procedures governing behaviour associated with equity and OH&S policies were seen by some participants to be a ‘positive’ step toward achieving safer and fairer working environments, the bureaucratic overhead (paperwork) required to demonstrate compliance with risk assessment and management policy stifled initiative. The risk management dimensions of corporate governance were also associated with higher levels of surveillance and lines of accountability, lower tolerance of mistake making, and the fear of a culture of risk aversion. Overall, perceptions of risk were understood as being a dynamic property of organisations, with attempts to manage risk reflecting conflicting interests between individual actors and organisations/institutions.
This book is a useful how-to guide for research students seeking to understand what they are supp... more This book is a useful how-to guide for research students seeking to understand what they are supposed to be doing. The book is short, succinct and in plain English. Carry it with you to the library, have it there when you are writing.
You can purchase an e-copy for under $5 at:
https://www.amazon.com/Building-your-argument-postgraduate-writing-ebook/dp/B00HTP1XG4
How do organizations remember? Remembering is a problematic issue for organizations. To remember ... more How do organizations remember? Remembering is a problematic issue for organizations. To remember too little is to forget the lessons of the past and to duplicate past effort; to remember too much is to lose flexibility and the ability to innovate (Stein, 1995; Weick, 1979a). In addition, employees may remember what organizational leaders never speak of, or lessons of the past that are useful for the future may be forgotten. Memory or knowledge retention is a significant component of organizational learning and knowledge management, but may also block innovation when old knowledge obstructs the retention of new learning. The hapless manager described in the above vignette is being confronted by a series of problems involving the retention of knowledge, or lack of it, in his organization. Knowledge retention can be a strategic issue, such as a new organizational-wide computer system or a tactical one such as an agreement with a supplier.
Qualitative Research Journal, 2008
Abstract: Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater i... more Abstract: Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater insight into organisational culture, leadership and health. These insights should be considered when organisational change is needed to improve effectiveness. This paper examines a ...
Armed Forces & Society, 2011
... One soldier told of how she was left stranded in a strange city after a ... Indeed, tapping i... more ... One soldier told of how she was left stranded in a strange city after a ... Indeed, tapping into the social network was often regarded as being a more efficient and expeditious way ... system, endorsed and resourced by Army leadership, the learning system is more ''bottomÀup,'' having ...
Higher Education Research & Development, 2014
Qualitative Report
The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern... more The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern, both nationally and at university level. At the same time, teaching undergraduate science requires universities to invest in laboratories, staff and equipment to meet the initial demand of enrolling students. In this article, I discuss participant-generated video as an innovative method of research used in a study to extend understanding about the experience of science students’ experience in an Australian university. In this paper, I present the methods and practices used to explore the experience of a selected number of undergraduate science students, using a phenomenological approach. Students used video cameras to record their daily experiences and their commentaries on these over the course of a semester. This method of data collection presented interesting issues related to ethics, the underlying organization of the design, and the way the students engaged as participant-research...
This article originally appeared in Training & Development magazine June 2015 Vol 42 No 3, publis... more This article originally appeared in Training & Development magazine June 2015 Vol 42 No 3, published by the Australian Institute of Training and Development. It sets out considerations for people are debating whether to enrol in a PhD
This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle o... more This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle of the Bach Dang River, which took place in 1288 AD. This paper shows how memory, intangible and tangible cultural heritage, and landscape have manifested around where the battle took place and have synthesised through the social production of remembering into a model of commemoration that informs cultural values at the local and national levels. I argue that the elements and interactions of this model need to be acknowledged and understood when planning future development.
Keywords: collective memory, cultural heritage, landscape
This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle o... more This paper presents research being undertaken in northern Vietnam around the site of the Battle of the Bach Dang River, which took place in 1288 AD. This paper shows how memory, intangible and tangible cultural heritage, and landscape have manifested around where the battle took place and have synthesised through the social production of remembering into a model of commemoration that informs cultural values at the local and national levels. I argue that the elements and interactions of this model need to be acknowledged and understood when planning future development.
"This article reports on an investigation that contributes to the understanding of social and org... more "This article reports on an investigation that contributes to the understanding of social and organizational learning in the military. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with over 150 Army personnel in the Australian Army. Analysis revealed that perceived learning opportunities were shaped, enabled, and constrained by a variety
of social, cultural, structural, and process-related imperatives. This was manifested through two learning systems: (1) a formal learning system directly managed by the organization and (2) an informal system that was fostered through strong social networks and driven by the organizational culture. From this investigation, we posit a social theory of learning, which encompasses sharing knowledge and experience through social interaction. This article concludes by arguing that the learning systems approach taken in this article is a useful and practical method of evaluating the organizational learning mechanisms in a military organization."
Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achiev... more Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achieving organisational innovation and learning. Organisations that encourage risk-taking generally have higher levels of innovation and adaptation. Conversely, organisations that discourage risk-taking have reduced levels of innovation and adaptation. Indeed, innovation and adaptation can be considered as hallmarks of learning organisations.
The research study described in this paper investigates the nature of the effects of governance and risk management measures within the Australian Army particularly with regard to their impact on learning. Analysis revealed that policies associated with corporate governance designed to manage risk were viewed as problematic by participants. Although rules and procedures governing behaviour associated with equity and OH&S policies were seen by some participants to be a ‘positive’ step toward achieving safer and fairer working environments, the bureaucratic overhead (paperwork) required to demonstrate compliance with risk assessment and management policy stifled initiative. The risk management dimensions of corporate governance were also associated with higher levels of surveillance and lines of accountability, lower tolerance of mistake making, and the fear of a culture of risk aversion. Overall, perceptions of risk were understood as being a dynamic property of organisations, with attempts to manage risk reflecting conflicting interests between individual actors and organisations/institutions.
A significant amount of qualitative research takes place in the field. Yet the notion of analysi... more A significant amount of qualitative research takes place in
the field. Yet the notion of analysing the place and material objects that contribute to the interactions and in situ behaviour of the participants is often overlooked. This article shows how an analysis of space and material culture contributes to an understanding of social and structural
relationships in qualitative research. We use examples from a study of a technology company to demonstrate how an analysis of space and material culture added insights into power, identity and status. We conclude that the tacit insights derived from space and material culture analysis, when synthesized with analysis of other data enable researchers to gain new perspectives on the social world.
KEYWORDS: identity, material culture, organizations, power, space
Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater insight int... more Stories told in organisations are being used increasingly as a way of gaining greater insight into organisational
culture, leadership and health. These insights should be considered when organisational
change is needed to improve effectiveness. This paper examines a method that combines data collection
through a story elicitation process with intervention design that promotes change and
learning within organisations. In this paper, we describe these processes in detail with a step-by-step
account of how the authors implemented these processes in a research site. Our experience can act
as a guide to other researchers undertaking similar projects. Evidence collected so far suggests that
these processes can contribute to organisational change in an incremental way that engages people
at various levels within an organisation.
This paper is the presentation for the South Australian History Festival 2017. Entitled "Willunga... more This paper is the presentation for the South Australian History Festival 2017. Entitled "Willunga Slate Carvers: Solving the Mysteries", the paper explores the puzzles that arise from locating and researching slate carvings completed by a small group of Willunga men in the 19th century.
The ancient port of Van Don was formally established as an international trading port of the Dai ... more The ancient port of Van Don was formally established as an international trading port of the Dai Viet in 1149 C.E. by King Ly Anh Tong (Ly dynasty) and in 1288 C.E. was the site of the defeat of part of an invading Mongol/Chinese army in the battle of Van Don. Since 2012 archaeological and related investigations have been conducted by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and the international Bach Dang and Van Don Research Team as part of an on-going research program into the ancient port of Van Don. This paper will present some results of recent multi-disciplinary research conducted by archeaologists, palaeo-ecologists and sociologists including an initial account of the artifacts found from Son Hao, a small hamlet on Quan Lan island, which will be compared with ceramics found from Cai Lang in Quan Lan commune and in Thang Loi commune. It will also explore the Quan Lan festival, that celebrates the battle of Van Don, through a lens of cultural memory and intangible cultural heritage. This will provide useful information for better understanding the changes to the port during its active history.
Willunga, South Australia, had a thriving slate industry in the nineteenth century. Remains of th... more Willunga, South Australia, had a thriving slate industry in the nineteenth century. Remains of this industry are manifested in the carvings of a small group of men who lived in the district. This presentation explores the range of these works.
Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achiev... more Risk-taking is well documented in organisational learning literature as a key behaviour in achieving organisational innovation and learning. Organisations that encourage risk-taking generally have higher levels of innovation and adaptation. Conversely, organisations that discourage risk-taking have reduced levels of innovation and adaptation. Indeed, innovation and adaptation can be considered as hallmarks of learning organisations.
The research study described in this paper investigates the nature of the effects of governance and risk management measures within the Australian Army particularly with regard to their impact on learning. Analysis revealed that policies associated with corporate governance designed to manage risk were viewed as problematic by participants. Although rules and procedures governing behaviour associated with equity and OH&S policies were seen by some participants to be a ‘positive’ step toward achieving safer and fairer working environments, the bureaucratic overhead (paperwork) required to demonstrate compliance with risk assessment and management policy stifled initiative. The risk management dimensions of corporate governance were also associated with higher levels of surveillance and lines of accountability, lower tolerance of mistake making, and the fear of a culture of risk aversion. Overall, perceptions of risk were understood as being a dynamic property of organisations, with attempts to manage risk reflecting conflicting interests between individual actors and organisations/institutions.
A poster that gives a snapshot of life in the nineteenth century for a family living in Willunga,... more A poster that gives a snapshot of life in the nineteenth century for a family living in Willunga, South Australia. The mother and father came from Ireland during the Potato Famine, and made a life for themselves in a small town, with slate as a major industry.