Dr. J. Barton (Bart) Cunningham

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Professional Information & Research Interests

Professional Information

Bart Cunningham specializes in studying workplace issues related to leadership, human resource management, stress and job satisfaction, and insight problem solving. Over the last 10 years, he has been a visiting professor at Johannes Kepler University in Austria and has previously held visiting positions at the Czech Management Center, the California School for Professional Psychology in San Diego, and the Waikato Management School in New Zealand. He has been a visiting scientist at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London, England and was an associate professor at the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore where he was the Research Director of the Enterprise Development Center.

His most recent book is Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: A Managerial Perspective. Previous books include: Understanding Values and Beliefs: The Echo Approach (Quorum Books); The Stress Management Sourcebook 2nd ed. (Lowell House); Action Research and Organizational Development (Praeger); and Quality of Working Life (LabourCanada). He has been involved with a number of organizational initiatives which are focused on workplace stress and hardiness, and using the Balanced Scorecard as a strategic planning process.

Full CV

Recent Research Applications

• Applications of the Echo Approach in understanding cultural values and nuances
• Decision-making and framing of complex sustainability problems
• Recruitment of minorities and First Nations in public organizations
• Experimental research on insight problem solving
  
  

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

• Cunningham, J.B. (2023) Defining a positive climate for inclusiveness: Recognizing the importance of context. Administrative Sciences. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/13/4/100 
• Darling, S., & Cunningham, J.B. (2023) Perceived causes of career plateau in the public sector. Administrative Sciences, https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/13/3/73 
• Darling, S., & Cunningham, J.B. (2022) Gatekeepers influencing careers of Canadian public sector employees: views from managers and union employees. Journal of Management Development, 41(9/10), pp. 469-495.
  
• Enhancing recruitment and retention of visible minority police officers in Canadian policing agencies. Policing and Society, with C. Rigaux. 2020.
• The role of leadership and team culture in enhancing sport performance outcomes. The International Journal of Sport and Society, with J. Walinga, P. Obee, P., D. Cyr, 2020.
• An experimental comparison of approaches to training insight. Creativity: Theory, Research, Practice, with J.N. McGregor & J. Walinga, 2020.
• Recruiting and retaining of Indigenous probations officers: Steps to creating diverse workplaces that reflect community cultures. Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, 39(2), 145-165, with F. Morven, 2019.
• To be or not to be...at work while ill: Effects of leader support, goal clarity, trust and creativity on sickness presenteeism and sickness absenteeism in the workplace. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, with J.N. MacGregor, 2018.
• Indigenous leadership in structuring firefighting: Developing tomorrow’s leaders in British Columbia. First Nations’ Emergency Services Society, with B. Langlois, N. Caverley, & J.N. MacGregor, 2017.
• A self-report measure of productive thinking in solving insight problems. Journal of Creative Behavior, 51, 1-12, with J.N. MacGregor, 2016.
• Underlying values, competencies and management: public and private sector managers. Asian Education and Development Studies, 5, 4, 371-387, with S. Darling 2016.
• The Effects of Performance Rating, Leader-Member Exchange, Perceived Utility, and Organizational Justice on Performance Appraisal Satisfaction: Applying a Moral Judgment Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 119: 265-273, with C. Dusterhoff & N. MacGregor, 2014.
• Productive and reproductive thinking in solving insight problems. Journal of Creative Behavior, 48, 1, 44-63, with J.N. MacGregor, 2013.
• Understanding Occupational Health and Safety Culture for BC Aboriginal Fire Crews and Emergency Service Personnel: Research Update. Journal of Ecosystems and Management, 14, 1, 1–3, with N. Caverley, B. Langlois, A. Krishnaswamy, J. MacGregor, J. Eustache, M. Carlson, & K. Strobl, 2013.
• Developing benchmarks for guiding CAO performance. Local Government Studies, 40, 6, 851-868, with E. Gunn & J.N. MacGregor, 2013.

Books, Chapters, Monographs

• Cunningham, J.B. (2016). Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: A Managerial Perspective. New York, U.K.: MacMillan (refereed). https://he.palgrave.com/page/detail/strategic-human-resource-management-in-the-public-arena-j--barton-cunningham/?sf1=barcode&st1=9781137438041
• Cunningham, J.B. (2017). Teaching Website: Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: A Managerial Perspective.https://www.macmillanihe.com/companion/Cunningham-Strategic-HRM/
• J.B. Cunningham 2001. Researching Organizational Values and Beliefs: The Echo Approach. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, with a foreword by Janet Bavelas.
• J.B. Cunningham 2000. The Stress Management Sourcebook, (2^nd. Edition) McGraw Hill, with a foreword by Joe Lischeron.
• J.B. Cunningham 1997. The Stress Management Sourcebook, California, Lowell House
• J.B. Cunningham 1993. Action Research and Organizational Development. New York: Praeger, with a foreword by Alex McEachern.
• J.B. Cunningham and T. H. White, (eds.) 1984. Quality of Working Life: Contemporary Cases.  Ottawa:  Supply and Services, with a foreword by Eric Trist.

Other Publications (book reviews, reports, etc)

• Cunningham, J.B. & MacGregor, J.N. (2014). To be or not to be…at work sick? Path models of presenteeism. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. March, 2014
• Cunningham, J.B. & MacGregor, J.N. (2012). Developing a test for creative problem solving: Productive and reproductive thinking. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. March, 2012
• MacGregor, J.N. & Cunningham, J.B. (2011). The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: Applying a moral judgment perspective. La Jolla, California. March, 2012

Grants & Awards

• SSHRC grant (2011-2015): Insight Problem Solving (with J.N. MacGregor).
• Workplace B.C. Safeguarding our indigenous communities: Measuring the health and safety culture of Aboriginal fire crews and emergency service personnel in British Columbia.” (With Brent Langlois, Natasha Caverley, and Jim MacGregor).
• SSHRC grant (2004-2010): Insight Problem Solving (With J.M. MacGregor).

Recent Speaking Engagements & Event Participation

• Decision-making Biases on Real Life Wicked Problems. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Vancouver, Canada, Feb 21-22, 2019.
• The Cognitive Roots of Transformational Change. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Vancouver, Canada, Feb 21-22, 2019.
• Framing and insight problem solving.  Annual conference of the Experimental Psychology Society, Manchester, UK. (accepted for April 2019)
• Charting the effects of decision making biases on real-life wicked problems.  Paper presented at the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences & Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2-5, 2019.
• Decision-making on wicked problems: Implications of how the framing of the decision affects the choices made. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Konstaz, Germany, (With Walter Lepore & J.N. MacGregor). March, 2018.
• Propositions guiding research on transformational change. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Konstaz, Germany, (With J.N. MacGregor & J. Kroeker-Hall). March, 2018.
• Analyzing the traditions of transformational thinking and behavioral change. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Conference in Atlanta, (With J.N. MacGregor & J. Kroeker-Hall).  August, 2017;
• Older workers: Multigenerational motivation. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Conference in Anaheim, (With D. Campbell & J. Kroeker-Hall). August, 2016.
• Sustaining motivation for older workers: Contributing to economic and social health. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference, (With D. Campell & J. Kroeker-Hall). March, 2015.
• Selecting people who have the ability to creatively solve problems. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference, (With J.N. MacGregor).  March, 2015.
• The dynamics of sickness presenteeism and absenteeism: An empirical examination. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference, (With J.N. MacGregor).  March, 2015.
• To be or not to be…at work sick? Path models of presenteeism. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. (With J.N. MacGregor).  March, 2014.
• Developing a test for creative problem solving: Productive and reproductive thinking. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. (With J.N. MacGregor).  March, 2012.
• The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: Applying a moral judgment perspective. La Jolla, California. (With C. Dusterhoff & J.N. MacGregor). March, 2012.
• Developing benchmarks to guide CAO performance. IPAC Conference, Victoria, B.C. (With E. Gunn and J.N. MacGregor). August, 2011
• Defining and encouraging informal learning. Western Academy of Management Conference, Victoria, B.C. (With E. Hillier). March 24-25, 2011.
• Developing a curriculum for supervisorial training. Western Academy of Management Conference, Victoria, B.C. March 24-25, (With S. Kearsey). 2011.
• Taxomonic  categorization effects in insight problem solving. Granada, Spain. (With J.N. MacGregor &, J. Walinga). 2010.
• Training insight problem solving through focus on barriers and assumptions Granada, Spain (With J.N. MacGregor &, J. Walinga). 2010.
• Testing hypotheses about insight problem solving, New Perspectives in Problem Solving, Purdue University. (With J.N. MacGregor).  2008.
• Understanding the characteristics of creative insights.  Academy of Management Conference, Anneheim, California. (With J.N. MacGregor, J.Gibb, & J. Haar). 2008.
• Competencies that older workers use in successfully adapting during their careers. European Academy of Management, Paris, France. (With J.N. MacGregor).2007.
• Stress, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Western Academy of Management,  Missoula, Montana. (With J.N. MacGregor). 2007.
• An experimental test of rebus puzzles as insight problems. Australian/New Zealand Psychological Societies Conference, Aukland, New Zealand. (With J.N. MacGregor). 2006.
• Imagination, ideas, and productive thinking in insight problem solving: A description and measure. Irish Academy of Management Conference in Cork, Ireland. (With J.N. MacGregor). 2006.
• Assessing creative problem solving: The roles of productive and divergent thinking in insight. British Academy of Management Conference in Belfast, UK. (With J.N. MacGregor). 2006
• Training insightful problem solving. Western Academy of Management Conference in Long Beach, CA. (With J.N. MacGregor). 2006.

Courses Taught

• ADMN 507: Leadership and Ethics in the Public Sector
• MACD 511: Developing Personal Capacity to Facilitate and Lead Change
• ADMN 531: Performance and Strategic Human Resource Management
• ADMN 409: Governance and Management of Non-Profit Organizations
• ADMN 312: Managing in Public and Non-Profit Organizations
• ADMN 431a: Public Sector Human Resource Management
• ADMN 431b: Negotiations in Labour Relations and Human Resource Management
• ADMN 600: Doctoral Seminar
• ADMN 607: Organizational Behavior
• ADMN 645: Organization Change and Development

Professional Appointments & Memberships

• Academy of Management
• Western Academy of Management
• Administrative Sciences Association of Canada
• Member, University of Victoria Speakers Bureau