Abstract
This thesis critically examines and questions the effectiveness of a competency-based
training policy for frontline management training and development in Australia - the
Frontline Management Initiative (FMI). This represents a crucial landmark in
Australian Government training policy, in that the training and development of frontline
managers was given a national impetus and for the first time a frontline management
program with nationally recognised qualifications and transferable competencies was
developed. Since the very nature of management and managerial competence are
matters of long-standing debates, the application and effectiveness of the FMI for the
'frontline manager' and the organisation as a whole constitutes a critical aspect of this
work. The study explores the interaction between national, institutional, organisational
and individual factors and their impact on the implementation of the FMI in
organisations.
Data to address the research questions were sought through a series of interviews and
questionnaires, six case studies, and supplemented by an extensive analysis of the
literature and policy documents regarding the FMI. An institutional perspective on the
FMI policy development process was obtained through interviews with policy makers
and other individuals who have played prominent roles in the FMI. Interviews with
senior managers from the case study organisations provided organisational perspectives
on the FMI, and interviews and questionnaires completed by FMI participants provided
participant perspectives.
An important theme of this thesis is that the political and economic context played an
important role in shaping the frontline management recommendations. The FMI is a
political construction of what is believed to be the characteristics of an effective
'enterprising frontline manager'. The thesis demonstrates that training and development
activities are not only influenced by the organisational environment, but also restrained
by national institutions developed over time to deliver and accredit training. In
particular the development of a national training system linked with training packages
(that enable organisations to provide firm-specific training) and national qualifications
reflect a conflict between employee needs and enterprise needs. The current focus of
national training which reflects 'enterprise needs', requires employees to be made more
'competent' to suit industry requirements, with the result that the provision of
transferability of competencies and qualifications to other firms and industries has been
compromised.
The analysis of FMI practice indicates that the role and performance of frontline
managers are significant issues in all the case study organisations. In an environment
characterised by change and (senior managerial) expectations as to what frontline
managers ought to be doing, frontline management development is viewed as a key
organisational process aimed at delivering successful organisational renewal. For
frontline managers these new expectations signal fundamental changes in their roles.
An important finding is that the organisational context within which the implementation
of the FMI has taken place and the nature of participant characteristics (especially
educational qualifications) have influenced participants' perceptions and attitudes
towards the FMI.
While the rhetoric surrounding the implementation of the FMI focuses on greater
organisational productivity, high performing managers, self direction, flexible approach
to skill recognition, national accreditation and transferability of skills, in practice the
underpinning assumptions of the FMI, including organisational reality (power and
politics), make at least some of this rhetoric questionable. As a MD and training
technology for managers it is neither a neutral nor an objective process and therefore
should not be viewed as an isolated process taking place in organisations. The FMI is a
means of crafting distinct frontline managerial identities in organisations and as such
may also fall victim to workplace practices and managerial prerogatives.
The National Training Framework also emerges as a critical factor in maintaining the
quality, credibility and relevance of the FMI training and qualification. Weak training
arrangements have had important consequences for the implementation of the FMI. In
particular inconsistent implementation of National Training Framework policies has
impacted on the quality and relevance of FMI training delivery, the recognition that
training receives (within and outside organisations) and the extent to which it achieves
the objectives of transferable and consistent training outcomes for frontline managers.
Finally, the overall success of the FMI policy is questioned in this thesis. The thesis
demonstrates that perceptions of a 'successful' FMI policy are strongly linked to
institutional interests. Attention is drawn towards the 'politics of FMI' and the
instrumental behaviour displayed by policy makers to protect their institutional
interests.