bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Relationship Between Personal Values and Moral Reasoning
Authors: Weber James
Published: August 2005

Personal values and moral reasoning have been found to influence behavior. However, as presently developed, these theories do not provide a comprehensive understanding and explanation of an individual's decision-making process leading to behavior. This paper explores the four personal value orientations introduced by Milton Rokeach and the moral reasoning characteristics of Lawrence Kohlberg's stage theory of moral development. Relationships between personal value orientations and stages of moral reasoning are developed and hypothesized relationships are empirically tested. Theoretical and research implications are drawn from these relationships in order to better understand, explain, and possibly predict decision-making and reasoning processes.
Rhetorical Vision of Men and Women Managers in Singapore
Authors: Lee S. K. Jean , Hoon Tan Hwee
Published: August 2005

This paper reports findings from a content analysis of newspaper articles to uncover the rhetorical visions of men and women managers portrayed by the media in Singapore and unfold the inherent conflicting forces that women managers face. The study revealed that the women manager vision that was portrayed by the press, emphasized the dilemmas and role conflicts that the women managers face; whereas for the men manager vision, the emphasis was their managerial abilities. The study also uncovered that the success of the women managers had to rely on a support system that consisted of a male mentor, a supportive husband, a mother or maid to help in the housechores; whereas the success of the men managers depended wholly on themselves. Implications of the findings are discussed.
The Strategic Management of Corporate Change
Authors: Dunphy Dexter , Stace Doug
Published: August 2005

To investigate the controversy between universal and contingent approaches to corporate change, a study was undertaken of 13 service sector organizations. The study used the Dunphy/Stace contingency model of organizational change strategies, developing measures to place the organizations within the model. Results indicate that universal models of change management are inadequate to describe the diversity of approaches actually used by these organizations. In particular, the traditional Organizational Development model is unrepresentative of how change in many contemporary organizations is actually made. The traditional OD model prescribes incremental change combined with a participative management style but most organizations in the study made rapid transformative change using a directive leadership style. The OD model is also inadequate as a prescriptive model because very different change strategies, some dramatically different from OD, resulted in successful financial performance. Four case studies are presented to illustrate how each of the major contingencies in the model can operate to create effective organizational performance.
Gender and Turnover: A Re-examination of the Impact of Sex on Intent and Actual Job Changes
Authors: Weisberg Jacob , Kirschenbaum Alan
Published: August 2005

Gender as a correlate of turnover has been inconclusive as a factor in understanding the development of a turnover decision. Yet, it is a decisive factor in the operation of key labor market processes which directly affect the entry and exit of labor to and from work organizations. Two possible conceptual and methodological explanations for this seemingly contradictory situation are proposed which distinguish "intent" from "actual turnover" and disaggregate male and female components of the "sex" variable. The lower and less consistent labor force participation rates of women in contrast to men led us to hypothesize that actual turnover behavior and intent to leave will be gender-specific, as well as influenced by differing sets of labor market and work environment factors. Three propositions testing these hypothesized relationships between gender and "intent" and "actual turnover" were examined. A representative sample of 506 textile workers located at 15 separate worksites was examined. A series of logistic models was devised which first began by clarifying the dual link between gender and both the intent to leave and actual turnover. Identical but separate logistic regression models were performed on men and women. This was followed by assessing if differing sets of biodemographic, perceived work environmental, and labor market variables explain differences for men and women in intent and/or actual turnover behavior. The results establish that women had greater rates of actual turnover than men, but no differences were found in the intent to leave. Both groups perceived their work environment similarly. The logistic analysis, however, confirmed that gender was a significant explanator of actual turnover but lot of intent. Contrasting alternative logistic models disclosed that different antecedent variables explained variations between men and women in both intent and turnover. These results help explain the inconsistent results linking gender to turnover, as well as emphasize that gender differences are crucial to understanding the development of a turnover decision. These results are then interpreted in light of the significance of gender to other forms of organizational behavior.
Economics as an Imperialist Social Science
Authors: Buckley Peter J. , Casson Mark
Published: August 2005

Economics is far more versatile than its critics believe. It is a method of analysis and not just a field of study. The method is to combine two core assumptions-individual optimization and equilibrium-with various sets of specific assumptions adapted to different fields of application. The method is applicable not only to the market system but also the social and political environment within which this system is embedded. Social and psychological insights can be encapsulated in the specification of interdependent preferences, which hold the key to modelling all kinds of institutional behavior in rational terms.
Studied Trust: Building New Forms of Cooperation in a Volatile Economy
Authors: Sabel Charles F.
Published: August 2005

The understandings of individuality and sociability characteristic of modern liberal and sociological social theory are fatalistic about the potential for the creation of trust in economic relations. These understandings are reconsidered in light of the recent evolution of state-level industrial policy in the United States, focusing on the experience of the state of Pennsylvania where the state's efforts have shown early success in breaking down barriers of mistrust that block economic adjustment in the state's traditional manufacturing industries. Arguing that the sort of cooperation-in-the-making that characterizes the Pennsylvania case is ill-captured by mainstream theory, the paper proffers a notion of studied or vigilant trust based on the core conclusions of 20th century analytic philosophy as a way of squaring theory and stylized facts. Government-instigated discussion among key economic actors has the potential to spur reformulations of collective identities and common histories, resulting in the creation of new avenues of potentially trusting economic relations.
Organizational Innovations in a Long-Term Perspective: Legitimacy and Souls-of-Fire as Critical Factors of Change and Viability
Authors: Stjernberg Torbjorn , Philips Ake
Published: August 2005

What may be learned from organizational innovations in a long-term perspective? This article is based on eight studies over a period of 10-20 years. An insurance department is used as an illustrative and representative case. The department manager was a successful soul-of-fire (i.e., champion) during the change process. The continuous defense of the organization's values and culture distanced him from the rest of the company. Legitimacy (especially top management acceptance) is something that has to be continuously regenerated. The soul-of-fire faces two major dilemmas: first, the learning dilemma, i.e., the need to balance the efforts for internal learning and development in the unit with diffusion activities and the creation of external legitimacy; second, the change dilemma, i.e., the need to balance the direction and control of change with support for employee autonomy and influence.
The Effects of Leader-Member Exchange on Employee Citizenship and Impression Management Behavior
Authors: Wayne Sandy J. , Green Shawn A.
Published: August 2005

A field study was conducted to examine the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and two types of employee behavior: citizenship behavior and impression management. One form of citizenship behavior, altruism, and one form of impression management, other-focused were significantly related to LMX. Implications of the results are discussed.
Patterns of Differential Assimilation and Acculturation for Women in Business Organizations
Authors: Hood Jacqueline N. , Koberg Christine S.
Published: August 2005

This article reviews cross-cultural studies on adaptation, specifically acculturation and assimilation, in the context of the literature on organizational culture and develops a conceptual model of women's current status in organizations. A cultural perspective that goes beyond person-and situation-centered theories helps to account for the gender gap in management. The cultural perspective suggests that it is possible for women, like other marginal persons, to acculturate to the organization without being assimilated into it. This article proposes a classification of differential patterns of adaptation for women in business organizations and suggests some options for changing the culture itself in order to mitigate the effects of the differences.
Gender and Occupational Level Differences in Union Voting Behavior
Authors: Cotton Chester C. , McKenna John F.
Published: August 2005

The literature on male-female differences in union attitudes and preferences in the U.S. is reviewed. Considerable ambiguity exists with regard to differences in the union attitudes and voting behavior of men and women. Preliminary research was undertaken to compare the union voting behavior of professional and subprofessional men and women. Traditional male/female differences were found within blue-/pink-collar occupational groupings, while the reported voting behavior of male and female professional level workers in the same organization did not vary. Possible reasons for the findings are suggested.
Organizational and Environmental Determinants of Functional and Dysfunctional Turnover: Practical and Research Implications
Authors: Park Hong Y. , Ofori-Dankwa Joseph , Bishop Deborah Ramirez
Published: August 2005

This study investigates organizational and environmental determinants of functional and dysfunctional turnover. Functional turnover is negatively associated with levels of pay and unemployment and positively associated with the availability of individual incentive programs. Dysfunctional turnover is positively associated with the presence of group incentive programs and negatively associated with the presence of unions. The implications of these findings are explored.
Exploring Issues in Culture and Competence
Authors: McAuley John
Published: August 2005

A key element of Organizational Culture is members understanding of the nature of competence and the ways in which different constructions of competence are created by members and are negotiated. Within organizations and as a component of culture, understandings of competence have political, moral, and ethical dimensions. In this paper, there is an exploration of the complex relationships between competence and culture and the way they impact on managing organizations. The author has taken two idealizations of organizational culture that is corporate culture (in which there is an emphasis on management control and the "management of meaning") and the ensemble culture (in which management is seen as a concern for the preservation of members autonomy and in which meaning is emergent) and shows how in both cases psychodynamic issues generate turbulence such that idealization and recipes describing competence are called into question.
An Examination of Subordinate-Perceived Relationships Between Leader Reward and Punishment Behavior and Leader Bases of Power
Authors: Hinkin Timothy R. , Schriesheim Chester A.
Published: August 2005

This paper extends earlier research on perceived leader reinforcement behavior and its affective and behavioral correlates. The current study examines relationships among subordinate perceptions of our supervisory ("leader") reinforcement behaviors (contingent and noncontingent reward and punishment behavior) and the five French and Raven (1959) bases of power (reward, coercive, legitimate, expert, and referent power). Based upon the literature, five sets of hypothesized relationships were developed, relating the perceived power bases to the perceived reward and punishment behaviors. Bivariate correlation, stepwise multiple regression, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed on data obtained from surveys conducted in two large (N = 375, 297) samples. The results supported the positive effects of subordinate-perceived supervisor contingent reward and punishment behavior and the negative effects of noncontingent punishment on subordinate perceptions of their supervisor's power. Not supported were the moderating effects of time spent in interaction or time under the direction of the supervisor on these relationships. Implications for practicing managers and for future research are discussed.
Occupational Differences in Involvement with Ownership in an Airline Employee Ownership Program
Authors: Wichman Ann
Published: August 2005

This study found that involvement in employee ownership-positive feelings about the program and participation in ownership opportunities-varied by occupation. Highest status employees were most involved. Lower status employees were either uninvolved or cynical about the program. Involvement also varied as a result of union commitments. Employees who favored a union which did not support ownership were less involved in the ownership program.
From Groupthink to Teamthink: Toward the Creation of Constructive Thought Patterns in Self-Managing Work Teams
Authors: Neck Christopher P. , Manz Charles C.
Published: August 2005

Groups have been subject to a number of weaknesses and problems that interfere with their effectiveness. One notable destructive group tendency has been labeled "groupthink"-a defective decision-making process afflicting highly cohesive and conforming groups (Janis, 1972, 1983). One contemporary type of group that appears particularly vulnerable to groupthink is the self-managing or self-directing team (Manz & Sims, 1982). In this article we examine the vulnerability of self-managing teams to groupthink and propose a theory regarding the establishment of constructive synergistic team thinking and problem solving-"teamthink."
The Meaning of Working in U.S. and Japanese Local Governments at Three Hierarchical Levels
Authors: Lundberg Claire D. , Peterson Mark F.
Published: August 2005

The research program undertaken by the Meaning of Working (MOW) International Research Team has documented effects of individual characteristics and macrosocioeconomic variables on work-related values and beliefs in different countries. The present study adds another dimension to this work by studying intact organizations-local governments in the United States and Japan-in place of the usual MOW samples of occupational groups. The measures used cover the three core facets of the "Meaning of Working"-work centrality, work goals, and entitlement/obligation norms. By studying intact organizations, the effects of other contextual variables-organization, region, and hierarchical level-in addition to country become evident.
Social Science Transformed: The Socio-Technical Perspective
Authors: Pasmore William A.
Published: August 2005

The recently-published second volume of the Tavistock Anthology on The Social Engagement of Social Science focuses on socio-technical systems theory and practice. This paper reviews that volume, examining its classic contributions in the light of modem perspective and challenges.
Managing the Uncertainties of Innovation: Extending Thompson (1967)
Authors: Spender J. C. , Kessler Eric H.
Published: August 2005

Thompson's two domain model, with its central core of rational activities separated from a mantle of boundary-spanning activities, tells us how organizations cope with externally generated uncertainties. Innovation is an internal source of uncertainty that this model does not adequately cover. Following Burns and Stalker, we suggest that the rational core and the organic boundary-spanning are incompatible domains of activity with different modes of governance. Many writers overlook the problems of coupling these domains and simply argue that "upstream" innovation activities can be managed organically while "downstream" implementation activities can be mechanistic. Sometimes they see a mixed mode of governance being applied between the project's initiation and completion points. We argue that far from there being a gradual transition from organic to mechanistic, there is a dialectical tension between these modes which is best managed by "nesting" the organic within a host matrix of bureaucratic activity. This recalls Bower's model of the resource allocation process in a stratified organization. Thompson's model, apparently focused on externally generated uncertainties, is thereby extended to deal with the internally generated uncertainties of the innovation process.
Leadership and Empowerment: A Social Exchange Perspective
Authors: Keller Tiffany , Dansereau Fred
Published: August 2005

This paper proposes that the receipt of negotiating latitude and support for self-worth from superiors empowers subordinates by increasing their perceptions of control. Subordinates reciprocate by performing in accordance with supervisory preferences. Additionally, superiors who utilize empowering leadership practices are predicted to be viewed as fair by subordinates. The results from the analysis of data collected from 92 superior-subordinate dyads support these hypotheses. The implications of empowerment for management are discussed.
Career Plateau and Work Attitudes: An Empirical Study of Managers
Authors: Tremblay Michel , Roger Alain , Toulouse Jean-Marie
Published: August 2005

This study examines the effect of objective and subjective career plateau on the attitudes and behavior at work of a population of 2183 managers from three sectors of the Canada economy. Our study corroborates others that have found that "plateaued" and "non-plateaued" individuals respond differently to their work environment. Our results indicate that career plateau is associated with a number of consequences, once we have controlled for the effects of a number of personal characteristics such as age, sex, education, seniority and hierarchical level. The study also shows that the explanatory power of the subjective career plateau is significantly greater than that of objective career plateau. The explained variance in reactions is increased by at most 1% with the introduction of objective plateau for career satisfaction, while introducing subjective plateau into the model has the effect of increasing its explanatory power by 12%.
Rhetoric, Ritualism, and Totemism in Human Resource Management
Authors: Kamoche Ken
Published: August 2005

This paper posits an interpretivist approach to the study of human resource management (HRM) by examining how organizational members construct meanings of HRM in everyday life through ritualistic behavior and the use of language. Concepts from language philosophy and socio-anthropology are brought together to develop an analytical premise upon which we can begin to appreciate the seemingly complex issues associated with expressive and ritualistic behavior in organizations. Propositions are posited and subsequently examined through an analysis of statements about teamwork in a Kenyan firm. A thematic analysis reveals that teamwork is a totemic device created by organizational members in everyday life. Through shifts in language games ranging from rhetoric to plain speaking, management uses the totem of teamwork to create and legitimize the desired pattern of power and social relations.
Fitting In or Making Jobs Fit: Factors Affecting Mode of Adjustment for New Hires
Authors: Black J. Stewart , Ashford Susan J.
Published: August 2005

This study tested a theoretical framework of work role transitions by examining the impact of individual factors (personal need for control and need for feedback), job factors (job discretion and job novelty), and organizational factors (organizational socialization tactics) on two modes of adjustment for new hires. In this study, need for control and need for feedback had a significant impact on self change as a mode of adjustment but not on job change. Job novelty and job discretion had little impact on either mode of adjustment. Investiture-divestiture organizational socialization tactics had a significant impact on self change as a mode of adjustment and fixed-variable socialization tactics had a significant impact on changing ones' job as a mode of adjustment. In general, the results of this study suggest that variables hypothesized by past theoretical work may only be moderate predictors of changing self or job as modes of adjustment for new hires.
The Social Construction of Organizational Learning: Conceptual and Practical Issues in the Field
Authors: Nicolini Davide , Meznar Martin B.
Published: August 2005

The field of organizational learning (OL) has been characterized by a wide diversity of opinions, definitions, and conceptualizations. After discussing difficulties associated with previous conceptualizations of organizational learning, this paper suggests a broader conceptualization which is consistent with and integrates diverse perspectives in the field of OL. To the extent that organizations continuously act and enact their environments, cognitive processes associated with learning continually take place whether the organization recognizes it or not. OL cannot be understood without taking into account the continuous ongoing change of organizational cognitive structures. However, learning is only recognized when an observer identifies and contextualizes those changes. Thus, organizational learning can be interpreted as a social construction which transforms acquired cognition into accountable abstract knowledge. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this conceptualization of learning on management practice and organizational research.
Work Redesign and the Balance of Control Within a Nursing Context
Authors: Molleman E. , Van Knippenberg A.
Published: August 2005

Within the nursing organization of four hospital wards, a new work design was introduced, which was primarily characterized by the delegation of responsibilities from head nurses to nurses and by the participation of patients. First, it was hypothesized that the participation of patients in health care would enhance their perception of both their own and the nurses' control over their stay in the hospital. Second, it was hypothesized that, in the perceptions of head nurses, nurses, and doctors, the new work design would enhance the perceived control of nurses and reduce the perceived control of head nurses over nursing care. Over 1000 patients, nurses, head nurses, and doctors completed questionnaires. The data support the hypotheses and the results are discussed in terms of participation and decentralization effects of work design changes. It was further observed that doctors evaluated some practical aspects of the new work design negatively, but measures have been taken to overcome these problems. Some organizational and management implications are briefly discussed.
Where Do Just-in-Time Manufacturing Networks Fit? A Typology of Networks and a Framework for Analysis
Authors: Kerwood Hazel A.
Published: August 2005

This paper explores how just-in-time (JIT) networks differ from conventional networks, by positioning this form of network within a typology of three distinct "hub and satellite" structures. The form and duration of coupling, both within the network, and between the network and its external environment, are identified and examined from a multitheoretical perspective. The most relevant theoretical frameworks for each network type are identified, areas of integration between internal and external coupling are suggested, and conditions for success for each network type are hypothesized.
Validating A Method for Mapping Managers' Mental Models of Competitive Industry Structures
Authors: Daniels Kevin , de Chernatony Leslie , Johnson Gerry
Published: August 2005

Cognitive mapping techniques refer to methods used to elicit the structure and content of people's mental models. There is a growing interest in applying these techniques to the study of managers' mental models of strategic management issues. This paper reports on a new method for mapping managers' mental models of competitive industry structures, that is based upon recent developments in the cognitive psychology of the categorization of concepts. This method, a simple visual card sorting technique, is quick to administer and interpret. The method is evaluated with respect to its psychometric properties against the well established, but potentially cumbersome, repertory grid technique. The method is demonstrated to have good validity by comparing it with the repertory grid technique.
Engaging in Kenson: An Extended Case Study of One Form of "Common" Sense
Authors: Hall Bradford 'J' , Noguchi Mutsumi
Published: August 2005

This paper seeks to understand a subtle form of relational common sense among Japanese conversational partners. To do so we examine possible explanations of a conversation between two Japanese that at first glance appears atypical. We argue that the most satisfying explanation is grounded in an understanding of the Japanese concept of kenson. Using ethnographic techniques the "common sense" of kenson is detailed in regards to its forms and meanings. Implications of this concept for conversation are discussed as well as comparisons made between kenson, the American notion of modesty and Japanese indirect refusals. Finally, kenson is discussed as an informal ritual grounded in social norms.
Organizational Demography and Turnover: An Examination of Multiform and Nonlinear Heterogeneity
Authors: Alexander Jeffrey , Nuchols Beverly , Bloom Joan , Lee Shoou-Yih
Published: August 2005

This paper advances the study of organizational demography and turnover by testing propositions derived from Blau's theory of heterogeneity and social structure. In a sample of 398 U.S. community hospitals, voluntary nursing turnover was examined in relation to three demographic dimensions-educational preparation, tenure and employment status-among nurse staff. The form of relationships between turnover and heterogeneity was specified to test whether heterogeneity affects turnover in a linear fashion or, alternatively, in an inverted U-shaped pattern. Our results suggest that effects of heterogeneity on turnover differ by dimension and that such effects can obtain independently of other dimensions. Further, interactions between demographic dimensions show that demographic dimensions also interact with each other to affect nursing turnover. Our findings partially support Blau's conceptualization of heterogeneity in social structure and highlight the importance of multiform heterogeneity in the study of organizational demography and group interaction outcomes.
Dominant Ideologies, Strategic Change, and Sustained Performance
Authors: Stace Doug A.
Published: August 2005

Strategies for organizational change which are successful in one business era, and in one culture, may not necessarily be successful in another. Yet the evidence is that powerful espoused ideologies about how best to effect change often live on within organizations, well beyond their capacity to help sustain positive performance. The espoused ideal approach to change becomes a myth which clouds the ability of managers to analyze their environment incisively and to move against the prevailing logic of change in the organization. It is suggested in this paper that often the best moves in organizational change may be countercyclical-against the preferred ideologies of change in the organization. Managers therefore need good contingency maps and models of change, rather than fixed ideologies and recipes, and the courage to move against the trend. This is made all the more difficult by researchers and management writers, who describe, espouse, and normalize dominant, preferred "best practice" ideas of change without adequate reference to the changing business environment of the organization, or to the cultural specificity of their theories. It is a case of when "best espoused practice" may be worst practice.
Three Faces of Eden: The Persistence of Competing Theories and Multiple Diagnoses in Organizational Intervention Research
Authors: Edmondson Amy C.
Published: August 2005

Recently, three noted scholars in the field of organizational development and action research, Edgar Schein, Peter Senge, and Chris Argyris, decided to collaborate on research at the newly formed Center for Organizational Learning at MIT. This article presents an analysis of factors impeding this collaboration, drawing from the literature and from the author's experiences as a researcher at the center. The article compares the three strategies for intervention research, and explores the theories of organizational effectiveness implied by each. Core challenges for each approach are identified, followed by theoretical and temperamental factors that may contribute to the persistence of separate approaches. Finally, options for collaborative research are reviewed, along with a recommendation for an integrative approach.
Understanding and Creating Whole Organizational Change Through Learning Theory
Authors: Hendry Chris
Published: August 2005

The management of change has become characterized by an atheoretical pragmatism, overfocused on the political aspects of the change process. Emerging interest in the learning organization provides an occasion to remedy this, by developing a theory of change which is more congruent with the requirement to build learning capacity within organizations. The result should be to place learning theory more centrally within the theory of planned organizational change. This should also reinvigorate action research by defining a wider range of learning technologies and perspectives. The argument is developed by first reviewing theories of learning employed in organizational change. The notion of communities-of-practice is then developed as a core concept to highlight the paradoxical processes of inertia and change centered on groups. A series of examples is then drawn from a recent action research project in order to illustrate the possibilities for applying learning theory. Finally, a research agenda is set out for exploring the role of communities-of-practice, with some preliminary observations from a study of small-medium enterprises.
Unpacking Priscilla: Subjectivity and Identity in the Organization of Gendered Appearance
Authors: Brewis Joanna , Hampton Mark P. , Linstead Stephen
Published: August 2005

This paper argues that our understandings of ourselves as gendered, as either masculine or feminine, are a power effect of the contemporary discourse of gender difference. The main premise of the paper is that this social construction of gender allows for gender difference to be resisted-and the form of resistance analyzed here is gender-inappropriate dress. Two forms of gender-inappropriate dress-male transvestism and female power dressing-are discussed in the paper and argued to present a particular kind of challenge to our discursively constituted sense of the rigidity and mutual exclusivity of the gender divide. This analysis is used in the conclusion to offer some critical comments regarding the strand of organizational analysis which argues for a "feminization/reeroticization" of the workplace.
The Effects of Gender Role Congruence and Statistical Discrimination on Managerial Advancement
Authors: Konrad Alison M. , Cannings Kathy
Published: August 2005

This paper makes the argument that the managerial advancement process is different for women and men. Men in management who choose to participate more fully in family labor experience gender role congruence pressures and are penalized in the workplace. Women in management experience statistical discrimination, meaning that they are viewed with suspicion and that their commitment and competence is over-tested. Findings from data collected in two large firms supported the gender role congruence and statistical discrimination perspectives. Specifically, effort expended on paid work was more strongly positively associated with advancement for men than for women. Participating in household labor hurt men's advancement more than it did women's. Demonstrating competence in a series of internal organizational experiences was more strongly associated with advancement for women than for men. Implications for theory, management, and future research are discussed.
Rethinking Management and Managerial Work: Capitalism, Control, and Subjectivity
Authors: Willmott Hugh
Published: August 2005

The paper presents an alternative understanding of managerial work based upon a reconstruction of labor process theory. Drawing upon contemporary studies of management practice, the paper explores the relevance of poststructuralism and an attentiveness to subjectivity to articulate a view of managerial work as the subject and object of the contradictory organization and control of capitalist labor processes. This understanding is illustrated by reference to empirical studies of ICI and is supplemented by interview material drawn from a study of changing management practices in the U.K.
Human Resource Department Power and Influence Through Symbolic Action
Authors: Galang Maria Carmen , Ferris Gerald R.
Published: August 2005

The present study integrates theory and research on power, politics, and social constructionism to investigate how human resource (HR) departments in organizations gain influence. Survey results from 242 organizations demonstrated that symbolic actions are stronger predictors of HR department power than unionization, HR performance, and top management attitudes. Implications of the results are discussed as are directions for future research.
The Enduring Legacy of Elton Mayo
Authors: Smith J. H.
Published: August 2005

When Human Relations first appeared, Elton Mayo had just retired from Harvard and was at the peak of his fame. All contributors to the journal in its first decade would have acknowledged his already legendary status as a pioneer of applied social science, especially in the workplace. His fall from grace in the late 1950s coincided with growing ideological-cum-methodological critiques of the Hawthorne Experiments. In the event, this sustained interest in Mayo himself, although much of the comment on his contribution remained speculative and ill-informed. Fifty years on, the enigmatic aspects of Mayo's career have largely been unraveled, thanks to the availability of family letters and other archival material. A more balanced assessment is now possible of Mayo's intellectual interests and long-term contribution to the field of human relations.
Work Design Issues in Lean Production from a Sociotechnical Systems Perspective: Neo-Taylorism or the Next Step in Sociotechnical Design?
Authors: Niepcel Willem , Molleman Eric
Published: August 2005

The similarities and differences between two paradigms, Lean Production (LP) and Sociotechnical Systems (STS) thinking, which currently compete for the attention of managers and scholars interested in improving the design of work systems, are studied in this article. In order to find the logic behind each approach, the design principles formulated by Cherns have been used to evaluate LP from an STS viewpoint with respect to work design issues. The two concepts differ most with respect to their definition of system boundaries, the control mechanisms they favor and their value bases and assumptions about workers. The way control is exercised in each concept is closely related to the production structure and has far-reaching consequences for the human resource policies practiced. Although each approach has something to offer the other, the question whether the best ideas of both can be synthesized in designing a superior overall system cannot be answered so easily. In the end, it will require more than just choosing features of each approach to apply in combination; the differences in fundamental beliefs about people need to be reconciled in the design of the organization and its system.
When "Life Is but a Dream": Obliterating Politics Through Business Process Reengineering?
Authors: Knights David , McCabe Darren
Published: August 2005

In this article, we explore the genesis and operation of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) within a medium-sized U.K. bank from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. We dismiss the claims of those evangelical gurus who assume that BPR can be decontextualized and decoupled from organizational politics and posit that BPR can be managed instantaneously and unproblematically. Instead we argue that BPR is likely to be constituted by and through political relations, and that BPR in turn will reconstitute organizational forms and norms, in a highly political fashion. We endeavor to build upon current approaches toward organizational politics. We illustrate that politics is not simply about resistance to some putative organizational norm of stability or uniformity as BPR's gurus imply. Nor does it derive "exclusively" from diverse interest groups pursuing separate or conflicting ends that can be juggled and managed as processual or pluralistic accounts of organizational change tend to assume. Neither, in this instance, can one interpret politics as being entirely axiomatic with labor's resistance to management (capital) which is characteristic of a traditional labor process analysis, although expressions of this were apparent in our case study. We suggest that politics "also" needs to be understood in terms of power and identity relations or how individuals seek, through political maneuverings, to further or secure their individual careers and identities in an uncertain world. In view of this, we argue that politics are essential to the very fabric of organizational life, which renders the outcomes of BPR uncertain and contested.
Are We Playing the Same Game?: Publishing Task Environments and Research Productivity Among Management Specialists
Authors: Jarley Paul , Chandler Timothy D. , Faulk Larry H.
Published: August 2005

Archival data on over 15,000 contributors to 33 management journals are used to examine productivity differences among scholars in different areas of management. The results suggest that a fragmented publication network offers specialists from different areas dissimilar publication opportunities and experiences, and may contribute to varying levels of publication productivity among authors. The implications of our results for future research and faculty evaluation processes are explored.
Gender Relations and Identity at Work: A Case Study of Masculinities and Femininities in an Advertising Agency
Authors: Alvesson Mats
Published: August 2005

The paper explores gender relations and gender identity, based upon an ethnography of a Swedish advertising agency. The organization is of special interest as it has a strong gender division of labor, where men hold all senior posts, at the same time as creative advertising work seems to have much more similarity with what gender studies describe as "femininity" rather than with forms of "masculinity." The paper discusses how gender is constructed in an organizational context. Emphasis on workplace sexuality is related to identity work of men in response to the highly ambiguous and contested context of advertising work. Tendencies toward the "femininization" of the work and client relationships put some strain on (gender) identity for men, triggering a structuring of gender relations and interaction at the workplace to restore feelings of masculinity. The paper problematizes ideas of masculinities and femininities and argues for a rethinking of their roles in nonbureaucratic organizations. Also assumptions about a close connection between domination of masculinity and of males are critically discussed.
Human Resource Management and the Appropriation-Learning Perspective
Authors: Kamoche Ken , Mueller Frank
Published: August 2005

This paper posits the concept of "appropriation" to explain the underlying ethos and rationale for seeking to secure the contribution of people to organizational functioning. Human resource management (HRM) practice is therefore largely underpinned by the objective of appropriating the human resource "value." This is ignored by the practitioner-oriented literature which has a financial interest in helping organizations to secure this value, and by the academic literature which is unwilling to confront the contradictions and uncomfortable truths inherent in such activities. The traditional approach to appropriation is characterized by such concerns as skill-formation, commitment to the organization, shared corporate values, and a reliance on formally constituted governance structures with a putative integrative ethos. This paper advocates a reconstitution of the appropriation regime to incorporate the concepts of knowledge and learning. We draw from the innovation management literature to highlight the problematic nature of appropriation and to clarify the implications of appropriation to the management of the knowledge that resides in people. Finally, we suggest how future research might proceed within an Appropriation-Learning (A-L) perspective.
Naming the Beast: Defining and Classifying Service Innovations in Social Policy
Authors: Osborne Stephen P.
Published: August 2005

Over the last decade, the search for innovation has become a core component of much social policy formulation and implementation. This search, however, has often been undertaken with little attempt to define the actual nature of innovation or to classify its different modes. This paper reports recent research which has developed a typology of organizational change within which to situate and analyze innovation in social policy. It argues that this typology is an essential tool both for social policymakers and for those concerned with its analysis.
Accountability, Impression Management, and Goal Setting in the Performance Evaluation Process
Authors: Frink Dwight D. , Ferris Gerald R.
Published: August 2005

Theoretical perspectives from accountability, impression management, goal setting, and performance evaluation suggest that accountability conditions may influence whether goals are used for impression management or performance-directed purposes. Goal theory and research suggest that goals typically are performance-directed, resulting in elevated performance under certain conditions. Alternatively, impression management theory might imply that goals may not always be performance-directed, and the goal-performance relationship may be decoupled in such cases. Accountability is proposed as influencing this relationship in addition to main effects on how people approach tasks. Two studies tested notions of how accountability influences task approaches and goal uses: a laboratory experiment with university students, and a field study of telemarketers. Convergence of results indicates that participants approached tasks and set goals differently according to accountability conditions. Furthermore, the goal-performance relationship differences reflect the use of goals for performance-directed purposes under low accountability, and for impression-management purposes under high accountability (with no goal-performance relationship), as predicted.
Structural Properties, Work Practices, and Control in Asian Businesses: Some Evidence from Singapore and Malaysia
Authors: Pearson Cecil , Entrekin Lanny
Published: August 2005

This study explored the level of adoption of Western style management practices in two South East Asian communities. A sample of 203 managers from Malaysian and Singaporean organizations responded to a survey that was designed to capture demographic as well as organizational data in terms of structural dimensions, and employed work setting processes and practices. A strong inference of the findings is that Western assumptions about managerial ideology were not fully endorsed in the study organizations. These findings, which are discussed, were interpreted in conjunction with contributions from Asian managers. The approach outlined in this paper demonstrates the value of qualitative and quantitative procedures for interpreting the results of cross-cultural studies.
A Note on the Protomental System and "Groupishness": Bion's Basic Assumptions Revisited
Authors: Miller Eric
Published: August 2005

In identifying the unconscious "basic assumption" behavior of groups, Bion made a significant discovery. Although he toyed with explaining this behavior as instinctive, he ultimately postulated that it was a postnatal defense. However, there is a strong case for the biogenetic explanation. This sharpens our understanding of some group and organizational processes that have been hitherto described in terms of psychoanalytic concepts. It may also have implications for management of, and interventions in, groups and larger systems.
Response Rate in Academic Studies-A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Baruch Yehuda
Published: August 2005

A study was conducted to explore what could and should be a reasonable response rate in academic studies. One hundred and forty-one papers which included 175 different studies were examined. They were published in the Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of International Business Studies in the years 1975, 1985, and 1995, covering about 200,000 respondents. The average response rate was 55.6 with a standard deviation of 19.7. Variations among the journals such as the year of publication and other variables were discussed. Most notable is the decline through the years (average 48.4, standard deviation of 20.1, in 1995), the lower level found in studies involving top management or organizational representatives (average 36.1, standard deviation of 13.3), and the predominance of North American studies. It is suggested that the average and standard deviation found in this study should be used as a norm for future studies, bearing in mind the specific reference group. It is also recommended that a distinction is made between surveys directed at individual participants and those targeting organizational representatives.
The Practice of Multimodal Approaches, the Challenge of Cross-Cultural Communication, and the Search for Responses
Authors: Zhu Zhichang
Published: August 2005

The development of multimodal approaches presents an opportunity for human beings to increase their competence in managing complexity, while at the same time brings a challenge of cross-cultural communication. Some claim that two approaches have been proposed for tackling this challenge: an approach of "frameworks" and an approach of "discourse." Some go further to contend dropping frameworks and taking up discourse. This paper argues that, if it is true that there exist these two approaches, neither the "frameworks" nor the "discourse" approach alone is sufficient. It is suggested that researchers and practitioners may be better equipped by participating in discourses with and among frameworks. Employing three metaphors, this paper proposes that, in the way "force-fields" and "constellations" require and imply each other, both frameworks and discourse are necessary for human beings to act as a "Peircian fiber-cable" in social problem-solving.