bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURING: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AND DIMENSIONS OF STRUCTURES IN CERTAIN FINNISH COMPANIES
Authors: Routamaa Vesa 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe relationships of structure and structural factors at a general level are examined on the basis of data from a Finnish sample of mostly small and medium‐sized industrial organizations. the sample, which consists of shoe and clothing firms, is homogeneous in terms of basic technology and industrial environment. the structural relationships are analysed from the point of view of size so that the interaction or concurrence of size and specialization is seen as a primary determinant of the systems of structural relationships. Some additional contextual variables are included in the analysis. Further, the factors or dimensions of structure reported are built on the basic variables of coordination and control. the factors are managerial supervision, the administrative component in general, including the clerical component, which is of particular importance, and impersonal mechanisms.
THE ORGANIZATION AS POLITICAL ARENA
Authors: Mintzberg Henry 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTPolitics and conflict sometimes capture an organization in whole or significant part, giving rise to a form we call the Political Arena. After discussing briefly the system of politics in organizations, particularly as a set of ‘political games’, we derive through a series of propositions four basic types of Political Arenas: the complete Political Arena (characterized by conflict that is intensive and pervasive), the confrontation (conflict that is intensive but contained), the shaky alliance (conflict that is moderate and contained), and the politicized organization (conflict that is moderate but pervasive). the interrelationships among these four, as well as the context of each, are then described in terms of a process model of life cycles of Political Arenas. A final section of the paper considers the functional roles of politics in organizations.
MANAGERIALLY PERCEIVED INFLUENCE OVER INTRADEPARTMENTAL DECISIONS
Authors: Wilson David C. , Kenny Graham K. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe perceived importance of seven power factors to two types of intradepartmental decision are examined: those which a manager takes alone and those which are taken in a group composed of departmental members only. the major findings from this examination are that while formal authority is important in the former situation it is of lesser importance in the latter situation; the reverse is true for personality. We conclude that decision method has a pronounced effect upon the relative importance of power factors. Secondary analysis of the data suggests that group composition also has a marked effect but that issue domain has a negligible effect. Nevertheless, managerial expertise remains dominantly important throughout the whole range of decision‐making situations; this finding also concurs with the results from our companion paper (Kenny and Wilson, 1984).
COMMITTEE TALK: NEGOTIATING ‘PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT’ AT A TRAINING COLLEGE [1]
Authors: Gronn Peter C. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTAn analysis is made of the interactional styles of a personnel development committee and its chairman. Beneath what is manifestly the negotiation of the meaning of ‘personnel development’ and how it might best be facilitated, transcribed extracts display members engineering a latent shift in the identity of the committee. A psycho‐social explanation is offered for the observed patterns. This draws on both the actors’ definitions of the situation implicit in the talk and in their retrospective self‐reports, as well as the dynamics of leader‐follower relations evidenced in this small group. the case study is significant for the insights provided into the handling of transitional shifts in the developmental career or life‐cycle of committees and the tensions inherent in participatory management.
MANAGEMENT IN CONTEXT: AN ESSAY ON THE RELEVANCE OF CULTURE TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Authors: Feldman Steven P. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe recent interest in cultural analysis of organizations is based on the belief that organizations have symbolic aspects that affect organizational behaviour. Underlying this research, however, are different assumptions about the nature of symbols and the role they play in organizations. The majority of writers have assumed that symbols perform an expressive function and are used in a type of action they call 'symbolic action’which they contrast with ‘substantive action’. This dichotomy between symbolic and substantive action has resulted in the development of models that assume culture is a causal factor in organizational change, and should be controlled by the management of symbols. In this article, this approach ‐ the management as symbolic action approach ‐ is examined and found to be inadequate. An alternative approach is developed ‐ the culture‐as‐context approach ‐ that assumes all actions have a symbolic aspect, all actions are value‐laden, symbols are meaningful only in terms of their relations with other symbols, and symbols are dispositions to action, not causes of it. The study of culture is seen, then, as the explication of action in terms of the system of symbolic forms ‐ goals, plans, ideas, roles and traditions ‐ that people use to give meaning and order to their experience. This approach is applied to the interactions of the members of the‘Transition Team’in a Bell Telephone operating company preparing for the deregulation of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, its parent corporation, in 1981. It is demonstrated empirically and explained conceptually that culture leads to a certain class of possible actions which makes certain attempts at change, or reactions to change, probable in a given situation.
A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Friesen Peter H. , Miller Danny 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe recent work on organizational configuration and quantum structural change by Miller and Friesen (1984), and on the population ecology of organizations by Hannan and Freeman (1978, 1983) suggests some integral relationships between eiivironments, structure and optimal adaptive strategies. These appear to warrant a more systematic and formal analysis. Towards that end a mathematical model is developed to show the way organizations adapt t o changing environments. Using a Markovian representation, three types of environments are examined t o test the implications that the model has for adopting strategies of generalism vs. specialism, concerted ‘quantum’ 71,s. piecemeal change, and batching changes together vs. changing gradually and promptly.
MANAGEMENT CONTROL: THE ROLES OF RULES, MARKETS AND CULTURE[1]
Authors: Lebas Michel , Weigenstein Jane 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses the question of efficacy of Management Control Systems in organizations. It shows that control systems are based on a combination of three underlying approaches — markets, rules and culture — in order to obtain desired behaviours from organizations’ members.These three approaches are then discussed in terms of Hofstede's work‐related values characterization. It is shown that each firm or organization defines its own balance among the three bases of control identified above. This balancing is dynamic and organizations must continuously adapt their Management Control Systems to changes in the overall culture(s), in technology and in the competitive forces.The general evolution of Management Control Systems is seen to be towards a lessening of the importance of rules‐based controls and towards an increased reliance on controls imbedded in the organizational culture.[2]
THE MANAGEMENT OF MEANING IN THE POLISH CRISIS[1]
Authors: Czarniawska Barbara 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe concept of ‘organizational culture’ proves to be fruitless when applied to organizations in socialist economies. Instead, this paper focuses on a more general relationship between organizational life and the cultural context of organizing.Three examples illustrate the proposed approach. In the first, the Polish ‘propaganda of success’, used in the years 1970–80 by the ruling élite, is analyzed as a case of the use of ideology to manage the meaning shared by participants in economic life. In the second, the battle between the government and the Solidarity movement is interpreted as a battle over meanings. In both examples, the successful management of meaning demands the fit between ideology and national culture. The third example, contrasting Polish and American myths about the origins of organizational effectiveness, shows how everyday organizational life is embedded in the historical and cultural context of a given country.The paper ends with a proposal to concentrate further research efforts on the complex relationships between organizational control and culture.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AS RELATED TO INDUSTRY, POSITION AND PERFORMANCE: A PRELIMINARY REPORT[1]
Authors: Reynolds Paul D. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTReliable procedures for the measurement of organizational culture are necessary if the ideas developed in popular and scholarly literature are to be tested. A review of recent writings was the basis for defining 14 aspects of organizational culture. A questionnaire developed to capture these aspects was completed by those working in a diverse collection of business organizations. Industry and organizational position had a strong association with perceived work context, work values, and work beliefs. One industrial corporation, frequently cited as ‘excellent’, was not distinctive in terms of these measures. The results suggest that unless statements about organizational culture reflect differences related to industries and organizational, technical or task requirements, they are unlikely to be accurate.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND WORK GROUP BEHAVIOUR: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Authors: Amsa P. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on a research study about the organizational cultures of a number of textile manufacturing plants from both the public and the private sector in Ahmedabad, India. These plants were shown to vary along one aspect of their work‐group behaviour, namely the rate of ‘loitering’ among loomshed workers. The concept of ‘culture’ is defined in terms of the shared beliefs, values, norms and traditions within the organizations. Methods of observation and informal open‐ended interviews were used to identify elements and/or dimensions of organizational culture, which were subsequently measured through structured interviews with loomshed workers. The study shows a definite relationship between ‘culture’ and ‘loitering’; however, the critical elements of culture influencing loitering behaviour vary from public to private sector plants. The implications of the findings of the study for the plants under reference, for production organizations in general as well as for organization theory are discussed.
THE EFFECTS OF GOAL EMPHASIS ON PERFORMANCE ON A COMPLEX TASK[1]
Authors: Locke Edwin A. , Somers Richard L. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe article reports the results of a naturally occurring field experiment which took place in the Judge Advocate function of the Tactical Air Command (TAC), a major command within the US Air Force. Official Air Force goals for courts‐martial processing time had existed for years but generally were ignored because they were considered unrealistic and unimportant. A new TAC staff advocate decided that processing time should be improved and took steps to emphasize goal attainment through various procedures. The result was a significant improvement in courts‐martial processing time as compared to the rest of the Air Force where no such emphasis occurred. The implications of the results for goal setting theory and leadership are discussed.
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND THE REDESIGN OF WORKRULES
Authors: Cappelli Peter , McKersie Robert B. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe redesign of workrules is rapidly becoming the most important issue in the industrial relations of the US. The arguments that follow present a taxonomy for understanding workrule changes and a series of propositions which explain the success of efforts to change workrules as a function of the general business that managements pursue in the product market and in their general approach to employees. Finally, the interaction between changes in different types of workrules is considered, as are the overall effects of a more flexible system of workrules on industrial relations at the firm.
BARGAINING WITHIN THE ENTERPRISE: CENTRALIZED OR DECENTRALIZED?
Authors: Kinnie Nicholas 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTDecisions on bargaining structure are at the heart of the management of industrial relations. Within the multi‐plant company these decisions are influenced by competing centrifugal and centrepetal pressures. Bargaining structure, alongside a series of other techniques, is used by managers at the head office and the plant to achieve a balance between centralization and decentralization. Head office managers exercise central control over some major industrial relations issues, while the extent of their influence is masked by decentralized bargaining structure and other techniques which create an illusion of plant autonomy.These centrifugal and centrepetal pressures emerge not just from industrial relations considerations but are also part and parcel of wider business strategy concerns. Empirical evidence suggests that these countervailing pressures have intensified in recent years.
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS[1]
Authors: Guest David E. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTHuman resource management (HRM) is a term which is now widely used but very loosely defined. In this paper it is argued that if the concept is to have any social scientific value, it should be defined in such a way as to differentiate it from traditional personnel management and to allow the development of testable hypotheses about its impact. Based on theoretical work in the field of organizational behaviour it is proposed that HRM comprises a set of policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Within this model, collective industrial relations have, at best, only a minor role. Despite the apparent attractions of HRM to managements, there is very little evidence of any quality about its impact. Furthermore very few UK organizations appear to practise a distinctive form of HRM, although many are moving slowly in that direction through, for example, policies of employee involvement.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PERSONNEL FUNCTION
Authors: Tyson Shaun 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article examines the way the personnel role has developed in the United Kingdom, and argues that three main models of personnel management may be discerned. The way these models have been influenced by the recession is discussed and it is suggested that the personnel function, both as a specialized activity and as one aspect of all managerial work has been forced to change, in response to the need for increased competitiveness, to structural and ideological changes, and to industrial reorganization. Looking to the future, the paper anticipates the ‘balkanization’ of the personnel function as new specialisms emerge, and as personnel activity becomes more closely associated with corporate marketing strategies.
THE MYTH OF THE CORPORATE POLITICAL JUNGLE: POLITICIZATION AS A POLITICAL STRATEGY
Authors: Klein Jonathan I. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTIt is argued that the belief that the intraorganizational environment is necessarily a political one represents a myth propagated and entertained to address various needs of organizational members. One consequence of subscription to the myth of the corporate political jungle is a belief in the necessity for, and as a result the performance of, ‘political’ behaviour itself. ‘Political’ responses by others to this behaviour empirically support the myth and justify the behaviour. It is argued that political behaviour incurs dysfunctional consequences that warrant its reduction or elimination. Because political behaviour responds to belief in its inevitability, reduction of political behaviour ultimately depends upon acceptance of the argument presented in this discussion that the workplace is not inherently political.
THE COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE ON STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING
Authors: Schwenk Charles R. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTStrategic management researchers are showing increased interest in the cognitions of strategic decision‐makers. In this article, the importance of strategic cognitions is discussed and research on a number of major topics within the cognitive perspective is summarized. the paper concludes with an integrative model of cognitions in strategic decision making. This model provides the basis for questions for future research.
ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION: SOME IMPLICATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL ECOLOGY FOR STRATEGIC CHOICE[1]
Authors: Zammuto Raymond F. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article identifies a correspondence between the organizational ecology and strategic choice perspectives on organizational strategy in their classifications of strategic types. Using this correspondence as the point of departure, implications of organizational ecology for strategic choice are examined with respect to how environmental pressures constrain strategic choice, why some strategic orientations are more successful than others in different environmental conditions, and how and why the mix of strategic types in an industry changes over time.
CONFLICT APPROACHES OF EFFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGERS: A FIELD STUDY IN A MATRIX ORGANIZATION[1]
Authors: Barker Jeffrey , Tjosvold Dean , Andrews I. Robert 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe conflict approaches used by project managers in a matrix organization were described by 135 project team engineers. In project teams where the managers used a combination of co‐operative and confirming approaches to conflict, conflicts were judged to have a constructive impact and management was judged to be effective. Conflicts were seen as counterproductive and management was seen as ineffective when the project manager relied upon a combination of competitive and avoiding approaches to conflict. These results provided field data support for a theory of conflict management which has been tested and refined through extensive laboratory research.
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND NEW TECHNOLOGY IN RETAIL DISTRIBUTION: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY
Authors: Bamber Greg J. , Lansbury Russell D. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the establishment of two large dry food warehouses or distribution centres (DCs) each of which involved much technological innovation. We explore whether the introduction of the same technology into two similar DCs in one corporation leads to similar outcomes and to what extent such a technological change may influence organizational behaviour. We assess the managerial strategies and tactics associated with the technological change and the subsequent experiences at each site.In short, distribution centre A (DCA) was plagued by industrial disruption and had low productivity. By contrast, distribution centre B (DCB) had virtually no disruption and had high productivity. Following a change of corporate strategy, DCA was contracted out to a third party independent operator and became DCX. the new management immediately reduced the industrial disruption there and appeared to increase the productivity too; thus DCX was transformed in comparison with DGA.These contrasts are explained in terms of differing managerial strategies, patterns of industrial relations and work organization. We conclude that these three factors are crucial in determining the success of technological change and are more important determinants of organizational behaviour than is the particular type of technology.
THE STATE‐SOE[1] RELATIONSHIP: SOME PATTERNS
Authors: Hafsi T. , Koenig C. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the pattern of relationship that develops over time between a state‐owned firm and its owner. the main hypothesis is that there is not a single, permanent pattern of relationship. Instead, it is proposed that there are three possible modes of interaction, which can be combined into a cycle. the state‐SOE relationships are thus shown to evolve from mutual dependance and co‐operation to autonomy via an adversarial stage.The article first provides detailed examples of the various types of relations that have been revealed by research, then combines them into the idea of cycle, before investigating the forces that lie under the cycle. It finally offers several implications for both practice and research.
THE BROKEN WHEEL: THE INSEPARABILITY OF AUTONOMY AND CONTROL IN INNOVATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Feldman Steven P. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThere is an ambiguity at the centre of our understanding of innovation in large, specialized organizations. The literature is split as to whether individual autonomy or hierarchical control leads to an increase in innovative activity. In this article, I argue that this uncertainty is the result of an inappropriate conceptualization. In my view, autonomy and control are inseparable aspects of managerial action, not independent empirical phenomena. Innovation in an organization requires the simultaneous regulation of autonomy and control in order to promote creativity and experimentation but still produce results that can be manufactured and marketed or institutionalized. I develop an interpretive concept of culture to analyse the relationship between autonomy and control, and I apply this conceptual framework to managers and engineers in an electronics company as they attempt to innovate. Four general conclusions emerge. First, autonomy and innovation can never be ends in themselves but always depend on a context of control for their relevance to the organization. Second, under conditions in which innovation is required and autonomous behaviour is important, general management control is needed as a sort of switching station to regulate interaction and set and enforce priorities. Third, when control and autonomy are not in balance a vicious circle can develop which undermines commitment to an organization's goals. Fourth, innovation in organizations requires participants to have a highly developed sense of the legitimate possibilities of autonomy in organization.
THE FACT AND CAUSES OF VARIATION IN STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
Authors: Katz Jan Hack 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTAs organizations adapt to changes in environmental conditions and internal needs, they often develop new structures. Research has described several diverse processes by which this development takes place (cf. Chandler, 1962; Child, 1972; Pettigrew, 1973; Sproull, et al., 1978). The only explanations provided thus far for these divergent views is methodological artefact and observer bias (Allison, 1971). In this paper, three parallel case studies are used to show that such differences are real ‐ different organizations do follow different development paths. Evidence is provided to suggest that this variation is caused by the differing structures of organizational control surrounding new structures.
Mergers and Acquisitions, Human Resource Issues and Outcomes: A Review and Suggested Typology*
Authors: Napier Nancy K. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe article has three aims. First, it reviews recent research on corporate mergers and acquisitions and their impact on human resource issues. Second, it proposes a framework for classifying mergers and acquisitions. Finally, it provides some research questions for examining merger types, human resource management issues and major outcomes.