Showing papers by "Danny Miller published in 1984"

A Longitudinal Study of the Corporate Life Cycle

Abstract: A review of recent literature on the corporate life cycle disclosed five common stages: birth, growth, maturity, revival, and decline. Theorists predicted that each stage would manifest integral complementarities among variables of environment "situation", strategy, structure and decision making methods; that organizational growth and increasing environmental complexity would cause each stage to exhibit certain significant differences from all other stages along these four classes of variables; and that organizations tend to move in a linear progression through the five stages, proceeding sequentially from birth to decline. These contentions were tested by this study. A sample of 161 periods of history from 36 firms were classified into the five life cycle stages using a few attributes deemed central to each. Analyses of variance were performed on 54 variables of strategy, structure, environment and decision making style. The results seemed to support the prevalence of complementarities among variables within each stage and the predicted inter-stage differences. They did not, however, show that organizations went through the stages in the same sequence.

The neurotic organization

Abstract: Introduction: Tracing Problems from Organizational to Individual Levels. ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS. Neurotic Styles and Organizational Dysfunctioning. Shared Fantasies and Group Processes. Confused Interpersonal Relationships. Destrucive Superior/Subordinate Interactions. Life-Cycle Crises and Individual Career Satisfaction. OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE. Identifying Defense Mechanisms and Sources of Resistance. Helping Managers Gain Insight to Facilitate Change. Steps in Diagnosing, Overcoming, and Preventing Problems. Organizational Therapy in Action: A Case Study. Conclusion: Working for Change--Cautions and Recommendations.

Ideology, Power and Prehistory

Abstract: The book starts from the premise that methodology has always dominated archaeology to the detriment of broader social theory. The contributions argue that past peoples should be understood as actively manipulating their own material world to represent and misrepresent their own and others' interests. The concepts of power strategies and ideological representations are introduced with reference to both contemporary and historical examples, while the core of the book lies in four detailed case studies taken from European prehistory. The nine papers are abstracted separately.- from Publisher

Neurotic Organization : Diagnosing and Changing Counterproductive Styles of Management

Abstract: Is your organization obsessive-compulsive or passive-aggressive? Corporate neurosis expert Manfred Kets de Vries analyzes dysfunctional organizational behavior in terms of accepted psychoanalytic types and arrives at some genuine insights into why some companies are healthier than others.

Neurotic style and organizational pathology

Abstract: Many parallels can be drawn between organizational and individual pathologies. We believe that the fantasies of top executives and the neurotic styles to which they give rise are important determinants of the nature of organizational dysfunctions. This is particularly true in centralized organizations where the top executives have a major impact upon organizational climate, structure, strategy and even the selection of the environment; and, where organizational recruitment and promotion processes ensure uniformity, or at least conformity, among the top ranks of executives. Using an empirically derived taxonomy, we have isolated five common pathological organizational types and related each of these to the fantasies and neurotic styles of their top executives. Each type is shown to reflect a large number of elements of structure and strategy that are consistent with and probably caused by the neurotic style of the cadre of top executives. The types are called paranoid, compulsive, histrionic, depressive and schizoid. Implications for management research and organizational change are discussed.

Ideology, power and prehistory: an introduction.

Abstract: Presents a critique of the dominant models in archaeological theory Two general discussions follow: a summary is given of some approaches to the concept of power, and in particular a description and critique of Foucault's recent work on this topic is used as the basis for developing a working model of power A model for the critique of ideology is developed through the examination of three examples Firstly, Marx's critique of the bourgeois conception of the political economy, secondly Marx's own labour theory of value, and thirdly the implications of three recent critiques of Marx's work From these are derived some general characteristics of a working model for the critique of ideology, which differs in a number of respects from the original example of Marx's writings-from Authors

Group Fantasies and Organizational Functioning

Abstract: Using the framework of Bion, this paper will argue that groups in organizations are often likely to demonstrate one of three predominant shared fantasies or basic assumptions that determine organizational culture. It will postulate how these different cultures may vitally influence organizational climate, decision-making, strategy, and structure. Our theme is that it may sometimes be useful to discover the fantasies of the organization's dominant coalition in order to understand organizational functioning and facilitate organizational change.

Ideology, Power and Prehistory: Ideology, power and long-term social change

Abstract: This concluding chapter analyses the importance of the various discussions in the preceeding papers for the study of long-term change, material culture patterning and the best manner in which the past can be understood.-from Authors

Using the life cycle to anticipate satisfaction at work

Abstract: It was hypothesized that there are important non-linear life-cycle influences upon job and organizational satisfaction. Five common life-cycle stages were identified from the literature: the phases of ‘reality shock’, ‘socialization and growth’, ‘mid-career crisis’, ‘acceptance’, and ‘pre-retirement’. The first, third and last stages were expected to show declines in job and organizational satisfaction because of the personal and job-related disappointments and crises that typically occur during these periods of life. The second and fourth stages were expected to show increases in satisfaction because of the pleasant life experiences that often occur then. All but the first stage supported these hypotheses when we controlled for the influence of sex, education, job experience, level in the hierarchy and occupational upward mobility.

Critique and comment. The concept of revolutionary change: Rejoinder to Ramaprasad

Abstract: The concept of revolutionary change in organizations is explored by taking Ramaprasad's (1982) recent discussion as a point of departure. It is argued a) that Ramaprasad has misinterpreted Miller and Friesen's (1980) concept of revolution; b) that the processes of revolution and evolution have vastly different repercussions for organizational design; c) that it is necessary for theoretical clarity to distinguish among the causes of the revolution, the revolution itself, and its consequences; and d) that there are crucial differences between conceptual and structural revolutions.