Background to the Research
- This
project was directed towards the 106 public service organisations in
Northern Ireland which were represented by their Chief Executives on
the Chief Executive's Forum at that time. The research addressed four
primary issues: (1) The extent to which equal opportunities policies
had been developed, the length of time they had been in existence, the
length of time they had been in existence and the origin, availability
and scope of policy statements. (2) The level of resources committed
by organisations to the promotion of equality between men and women.
(3) The extent to which the organisations had examined the position
of women employees and barriers, both to and in employment. (4) The
range of physical steps taken to promote equality of opportunity and
planned actions.
Research
Approach
- A database
containing summaries of all equal opportunities documentation from the
sample was compiled.
- Structured
and semi-structured interviews were carried out with a range of individuals,
including Equal Opportunities Officers, Chief Executives and Trade Union
Representatives.
- Focus
Groups were held with selected staff from certain organisations
Main
Findings
- A diversity
of organisations are subsumed under the banner of public service and
a complexity of relationships exist between a great many of these bodies.
This complexity makes the task of identifying structures and responsibilities
a difficult one. Consequently, on certain occasions officers within
organisations (and in particular small organisations) appeared to be
unsure as to which equal opportunities, if any, applied to their department
or division.
- There
are diverse responses to the issue of equality of opportunity within
the public service in Northern Ireland and this diversity naturally
made the task of drawing general conclusions troublesome. Fortunately,
there were policy issues common to a significant number of organisations,
thus such themes could be reported on.
- Equality
of opportunity, whether in terms of gender or any other dimension of
equal opportunities, will never become a reality so long as it continues
to be regarded as a stand-alone management function. The management
of equal opportunities must be seen as an integral part of day-to-day
running of any organisation.
- There
were very different perceptions of each organisation as seen through
the eyes of people working either in them at different levels or within
them in different roles. From a management perspective, and irrespective
of the research brief, large variability in the perceptions of organisational
values, structures and cultures by employees must be a cause for concern
and must raise fundamental question marks about communication and coordination
within a great many of these public service bodies.
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