Showing papers in "Academy of Management Review in 2011"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a dynamic equilibrium model of organizing, which depicts how cyclical responses to paradoxical tensions enable sustainability, peak performance in the present that enables success in the future.
Abstract: As organizational environments become more global, dynamic, and competitive, contradictory demands intensify. To understand and explain such tensions, academics and practitioners are increasingly adopting a paradox lens. We review the paradox literature, categorizing types and highlighting fundamental debates. We then present a dynamic equilibrium model of organizing, which depicts how cyclical responses to paradoxical tensions enable sustainability—peak performance in the present that enables success in the future. This review and the model provide the foundation of a theory of paradox.
1,675 citations
TL;DR: The authors distill existing literature on theoretical contribution into two dimensions, originality (incremental or revelatory) and utility (scientific or practical) and argue for a revision in the way scholars approach the utility dimension by calling for a view of theorizing that would enable theories with more "scope" (both scientific and practical utility) and also argue for an orientation toward "prescience" as a way of achieving scope and fulfilling our scholarly role of facilitating organizational and societal adaptiveness.
Abstract: We distill existing literature on theoretical contribution into two dimensions, originality (incremental or revelatory) and utility (scientific or practical). We argue for a revision in the way scholars approach the utility dimension by calling for a view of theorizing that would enable theories with more “scope” (both scientific and practical utility). We also argue for an orientation toward “prescience” as a way of achieving scope and fulfilling our scholarly role of facilitating organizational and societal adaptiveness.
1,274 citations
TL;DR: Problematization is proposed as a methodology for identifying and challenging assumptions underlying existing literature and, based on that, formulating research questions that are likely to lead to more influential theories.
Abstract: It is increasingly recognized that what makes a theory interesting and influential is that it challenges our assumptions in some significant way. However, established ways for arriving at research questions mean spotting or constructing gaps in existing theories rather than challenging their assumptions. We propose problematization as a methodology for identifying and challenging assumptions underlying existing literature and, based on that, formulating research questions that are likely to lead to more influential theories.
1,126 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multilevel model connecting micro, intermediate, and macro levels of scholarship is proposed for the conceptualization of the human capital resource, which is created from the emergence of individuals' knowledge, skills, abilities, or other characteristics.
Abstract: This article offers a new approach to the conceptualization of the human capital resource by developing a multilevel model connecting micro, intermediate, and macro levels of scholarship. We define human capital as a unit-level resource that is created from the emergence of individuals' knowledge, skills, abilities, or other characteristics. The model provides new insights into how strategically valuable human capital resources have their origins in the psychological attributes of individuals and are transformed through unit-level processes.
908 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how evaluators make their social judgments under conditions of bounded rationality and how cognitive and social factors influence this process, highlighting the complex and non-deterministic nature of this process.
Abstract: The proposed theory extends research on cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy, reputation, and status by advancing an evaluator's perspective on these concepts as forms of social judgment, each addressing a different evaluator's question about the organization. I describe how evaluators make their social judgments under conditions of bounded rationality and how cognitive and social factors influence this process. The proposed process model of social judgment formation highlights the complex and nondeterministic nature of this process.
905 citations
TL;DR: The authors propose that entrepreneurial identities are judged favorably when they are legitimately distinctive, and that such judgments are influenced by market context and are mediated by identity narratives that provide institutional primes and equivocal cues in investor sensemaking.
Abstract: We theorize about how the entrepreneurial identity, which we define as the constellation of claims around the founder, new venture, and market opportunity as to “who we are” and “what we do,” serves as a touchstone for investor judgments about new venture plausibility. We propose that entrepreneurial identities are judged favorably when they are legitimately distinctive, and that such judgments are influenced by market context and are mediated by identity narratives that provide institutional primes and equivocal cues in investor sensemaking.
526 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review and reconceptualize identity threat, defining it as an experience appraised as indicating potential harm to the value, meaning, or enactment of an identity.
Abstract: I review and reconceptualize identity threat, defining it as an experience appraised as indicating potential harm to the value, meanings, or enactment of an identity. I also develop a theoretical model and propositions that generate insights into how individuals respond to identity threats originating from a range of sources. I use this theory to explore individual and organizational consequences of different identity threat responses and their implications for research on identity dynamics within organizations.
483 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that most management theories are unable to capture the logic of practice because they are developed within the framework of scientific rationality and elaborate practical rationality as an alternative framework.
Abstract: There is an increasing concern that management theories are not relevant to practice. In this article we contend that the overall problem is that most management theories are unable to capture the logic of practice because they are developed within the framework of scientific rationality. We elaborate practical rationality as an alternative framework and show how it enables development of theories that grasp the logic of practice and, thus, are more relevant to management practice.
456 citations
TL;DR: This article developed a theoretical framework that specifies the content underlying legitimacy judgments and a model of the process by which these judgments develop and change, and argued that individual-level legitimacy judgments are based on evaluations that fall along three dimensions (instrumental, relational, and moral).
Abstract: I develop a theoretical framework that specifies the content underlying legitimacy judgments and a model of the process by which these judgments develop and change. I argue that individual-level legitimacy judgments are based on evaluations that fall along three dimensions (instrumental, relational, and moral). I specify three stages of the legitimacy judgment process and two modes by which judgments may be developed or revised (evaluative and passive). I end by discussing implications for the study of institutional change.
427 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how the number and variety of multiple team memberships drive different mechanisms, yielding distinct effects, and show how carefully balancing the number of team memberhips can enhance both productivity and learning.
Abstract: Organizations use multiple team membership to enhance individual and team productivity and learning, but this structure creates competing pressures on attention and information, which make it difficult to increase both productivity and learning. Our model describes how the number and variety of multiple team memberships drive different mechanisms, yielding distinct effects. We show how carefully balancing the number and variety of team memberships can enhance both productivity and learning.
323 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors specify the functions of the TMT-MM interface and formulate a series of propositions linking TMT and MMs' interaction processes, role behaviors, and trust to strategic decision quality and implementation quality.
Abstract: The interaction of the top management team (TMT) and middle managers (MMs) is central to effective strategy formulation and implementation, but researchers have remained notably silent on the actual nature of this interaction. Here we specify the functions of the TMT-MM interface and formulate a series of propositions linking TMT and MMs' interaction processes, role behaviors, and trust to strategic decision quality and implementation quality. Studying the interface provides a new avenue for both TMT and MM research and enhances insight into the impact of TMTs on organizational performance.
TL;DR: The authors proposed a framework specifying the component capacities organizational actors require to think and act morally, and examined how moral maturation (i.e., moral identity, complexity, and metacognitive ability) and moral conation enhance an individual's moral cognition and propensity to take ethical action.
Abstract: We set out to address a gap in the management literature by proposing a framework specifying the component capacities organizational actors require to think and act morally. We examine how moral maturation (i.e., moral identity, complexity, and metacognitive ability) and moral conation (i.e., moral courage, efficacy, and ownership) enhance an individual's moral cognition and propensity to take ethical action. We offer propositions to guide future research and discuss the implications of the proposed model for management theory and practice.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose linkages among human resource systems, relational climates, and employee helping behavior, and suggest that HR systems promote relational climates varying in terms of the motivation and sustenance of helping behavior.
Abstract: We propose linkages among human resource (HR) systems, relational climates, and employee helping behavior. We suggest that HR systems promote relational climates varying in terms of the motivation and sustenance of helping behavior, and we expect HR systems to indirectly influence the nature of relationships and the character of helping within organizations. By considering HR systems and their respective relational climates together, researchers can gain a better understanding of expectations and dynamics surrounding helping behavior.
TL;DR: The authors identify a dominant foreign to domestic to domesticated pattern of organization and management theory building and propose that the prevalent process of one-way borrowing from outside the discipline should be counterbalanced by a two-way analogical process of conceptual blending, which involves dissonant thinking, disanalogy, and counterfactual reasoning.
Abstract: Why are there not more original and radical theories in organization theory? To answer this question, we consider an overreliance on “theory borrowing” from other disciplines. We identify a dominant foreign to domestic to domesticated pattern of organization and management theory building and propose that the prevalent process of one-way borrowing from outside the discipline should be counterbalanced by a two-way analogical process of conceptual blending, which involves dissonant thinking, disanalogy, and counterfactual reasoning.
TL;DR: The most cited AMR article from the past decade as mentioned in this paper was the Decade Award for the most cited organizational learning (OL) article, which has been used in subsequent research.
Abstract: Having received the “Decade Award” for the most cited AMR article from the past decade, we reflect on how our framework of organizational learning (OL) has been used in subsequent research and whether a theory of OL has emerged. Our citation review revealed that although some of the subsequent research has added to the original work, the challenge to develop an accepted theory remains unrealized. We offer promising directions for developing a theory of OL.
TL;DR: In this article, an inductive model of top-down theorizing that can be used as a source of new theories of organization is proposed, based on coherence theory and a pragmatist tradition.
Abstract: Building on coherence theory and a pragmatist tradition, we offer an inductive model of top-down theorizing that can be a source of new theories of organization. We explain how an initial hypothesis is refined to enhance its potential contribution (consistent with abduction). But, unlike abduction, we explain how inquiry begins— how research tensions are carved out of the flux of the vast literature—and how constant comparison facilitates an abductive process.
TL;DR: An integrative model is developed and an illustration from organizational institutionalism is provided to delineate how metaphors and scripts influence organizational theory production.
Abstract: We argue that three epistemic scripts of knowledge production—evolution, differentiation, and bricolage—underpin the production—that is, the conception and the presentation—of new organizational theories. Bricolage of concepts, empirical material, and metaphors enables the conception of new theories, whereas evolution and differentiation, carrying higher academic legitimacy, predominate in theory presentation. We develop an integrative model and provide an illustration from organizational institutionalism to delineate how metaphors and scripts influence organizational theory production.
TL;DR: The authors developed an expanded model of the components of compassionate responding that includes noticing, appraising, feeling, and acting, and proposed that psychological flexibility contributes to enhancing the perceptual, cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of compassion.
Abstract: To enhance compassion in organizations, the processes by which compassion can be enhanced in individuals must be understood. We develop an expanded model of the components of compassionate responding that includes noticing, appraising, feeling, and acting. Using this model, we propose that psychological flexibility (mindfulness combined with values-directed action) contributes to enhancing the perceptual, cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of compassion. Specifically, mindfulness processes support the capacity to be compassionate while values processes motivate effort to engage in compassionate action. Training in psychological flexibility should be considered as one element of programs designed to increase organizational compassion.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors contribute to the microfoundations of organizational performance by proffering the construct of joint production motivation, where individuals see themselves as part of a joint endeavor, each with his or her own roles and responsibilities; generate shared representations of actions and tasks; cognitively coordinate cooperation; and choose their own behaviors in terms of joint goals.
Abstract: We contribute to the microfoundations of organizational performance by proffering the construct of joint production motivation. Under such motivational conditions individuals see themselves as part of a joint endeavor, each with his or her own roles and responsibilities; generate shared representations of actions and tasks; cognitively coordinate cooperation; and choose their own behaviors in terms of joint goals. Using goal-framing theory, we explain how motivation for joint production can be managed by cognitive/symbolic management and organizational design.
TL;DR: In this article, a cybernetic model of job search and voluntary turnover is proposed, which is based on the need to remain employable in a volatile economy and depicts the process by which individuals engage in ongoing cyclical job search activities that can increase the likelihood of voluntary turnover.
Abstract: We propose a cybernetic model of job search and voluntary turnover that is based on the need to remain employable in a volatile economy. The model depicts the process by which individuals engage in ongoing cycles of job search activities that can increase the likelihood of voluntary turnover, which, in turn, provides opportunities to develop additional career competencies. We then examine the implications of the model for future research on the turnover process.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the contract frame determines its impact, and that promotion and prevention-framed contracts induce different emotions, behaviors, and expectations, leading to different exchange outcomes and relationships, depending on the context.
Abstract: How a contract influences the exchange and ongoing relationship between parties is an unresolved issue. While some suggest contracts negatively or positively influence the exchange and relationship, we argue that the contract frame determines its impact. Using regulatory focus and expectancy violation theories, we argue that promotion- and prevention-framed contracts induce different emotions, behaviors, and expectations, leading to different exchange outcomes and relationships, depending on the context. By considering contract framing, we provide new research opportunities in areas that use contracts to achieve desired outcomes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors pointed out that most of the theories of organization used by contemporary management researchers were formulated several decades ago, largely in the 1960s and 1970s, and that these theories have persisted, largely intact, since that time.
Abstract: This Special Topic Forum was inspired by the observation that most of the theories of organization used by contemporary management researchers were formulated several decades ago, largely in the 1960s and 1970s, and that these theories have persisted, largely intact, since that time. This is so, in spite of massive growth and change in the size, prevalence and influence of organizations in modern society. Organizational theory, as Davis (2010: 691) has observed, can sometimes appear like a “living museum of the 1970s.” Where, we asked, are the new theories of organization?
TL;DR: It is concluded that stretch goals are, paradoxically, most seductive for organizations that can least afford the risks associated with them.
Abstract: We investigate the organizational pursuit of seemingly impossible goals—commonly known as stretch goals. Building from our analysis of the mechanisms through which stretch goals could influence organizational learning and performance, we offer a contingency framework evaluating which organizations are positioned to benefit from such extreme goals and which are most likely to pursue them. We conclude that stretch goals are, paradoxically, most seductive for organizations that can least afford the risks associated with them.
TL;DR: In this paper, a dyadic theory of relational attributions is proposed, which links relational attributes to relationship-focused behaviors, which influence the quality of interpersonal links within organizations, based on relational perspectives.
Abstract: Attribution theory argues that people assess the locus of causality of achievement-relevant events as either internal or external. Given the frequency of interpersonal interactions in organizations, we posit that a third category—relational attributions—may be used. Drawing on relational perspectives, we lay the conceptual foundation and develop a dyadic theory of relational attributions, proposing their antecedents and linking them to relationship-focused behaviors, which influence the quality of interpersonal links within organizations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors expand the largely contemporaneous fit literature with a model that explains how individuals craft and recraft stories of fit in medias res (in the middle of things) to help individuals make sense of their fit experiences and relate to outcomes through temporal influence and temporal comparison processes.
Abstract: We expand the largely contemporaneous fit literature with a model that explains how individuals craft and recraft stories of fit in medias res—in the middle of things. These fit narratives, composed of retrospected, current, and anticipated fit and woven together by a theme, help individuals make sense of their fit experiences and relate to outcomes through temporal influence and temporal comparison processes. Our model both extends and reinterprets our understanding of fit over time.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a theory of why some people who witness or learn about acts of mistreatment against others in organizations are more likely to recognize this injustice and become personally involved.
Abstract: We present a theory of why some people who witness or learn about acts of mistreatment against others in organizations are more likely to recognize this injustice and become personally involved. Drawing from theories of moral identity, moral intuitions, and self-regulation, we explain third parties' morally motivated responses to mistreatment and consider the role of power and belief in the disciplinary system in this process. We discuss implications of the theory and propose future research directions.
TL;DR: The authors summarize the manifest and latent content of the articles that make up the Special Topic Forum on Theory Development and conclude by speculating about the institutional barriers to new theory creation and how those barriers might be changed.
Abstract: We summarize the manifest and latent content of the articles that make up the Special Topic Forum on Theory Development. Rather than offering new theories, however, most of the articles offer a series of critical accounts of current organizational theory and a range of novel ideas about the process of theory construction. We conclude by speculating about the institutional barriers to new theory creation and how those barriers might be changed.
TL;DR: A review and synthesis of prior writing on the subject in management journals and in journals from related social science disciplines can be found in this paper, where the authors discuss what constitutes a theoretical construct and how to best create clarity in our constructs.
Abstract: One of the more commonly cited reasons for rejecting a manuscript at AMR is that reviewers feel the submission lacks “construct clarity.” Yet reviewers (and editors) often find it difficult to articulate precisely what construct clarity is. Indeed, in contrast to other social sciences, such as sociology and psychology, where the nature and role of constructs are subjects of considerable debate, the field of management seems unusually silent on the subject. The absence of an open discussion about theoretical constructs is somewhat surprising given their widespread use in and undeniable importance to management theory. The purpose of this essay, thus, is twofold. My first objective is pragmatic. I hope to offer some degree of clarification about how the issue of construct clarity is dealt with at AMR. I do so by offering a review and synthesis of prior writing on the subject in management journals and in journals from related social science disciplines. Ideally, this will assist authors of prospective AMR manuscripts to improve the clarity of their theoretical constructs. My second objective is less pragmatic but, arguably, more important. I hope to open a dialogue within the AMR community about the role and use of constructs in developing theories. Before doing this, however, I should be clear about the scope of this essay. The intent is not to discuss issues of construct validity. This is a subsidiary topic of high importance that has received and continues to receive considerable attention (i.e., Bagozzi & Edwards, 1998; Cook & Campbell, 1979; Schwab, 1980). Questions of construct clarity and validity are quite distinct (Bacharach, 1989). Issues of construct validity, which flows from the ability to crisply and precisely describe theoretical constructs, are more narrowly constituted on empirical questions of operationalization and measurement. Nor is my intent to discuss the broader question of what constitutes “good” theory. This topic has already received substantial prior, more skilled attention (i.e., Bacharach, 1989; Sutton & Staw, 1995; Weick, 1989). While recognizing that strong, clear constructs contribute to good theory, my goal here is more modest. I simply intend to focus the discussion on why we need clear constructs in developing theories of management and how best to accomplish this. This essay proceeds in four parts. In the first I discuss what constitutes a theoretical construct and how to best create clarity in our constructs. Second, I outline why we need clear constructs in management theory. In the third part I outline how the term construct means different things to different kinds of researchers, and I explore how standards of construct clarity vary across epistemological and methodological divisions. Finally, I present a more normative argument about the need for more open dialogue about the role of constructs in our discipline.
TL;DR: The authors examine rationalized logics developed within discourses of the philosophy of science for implications for the organization of new knowledge, and discuss the kinds of knowledge produced, the indicators of progress, the characteristic methods, exemplar organizations, and ways in which logics are combined and diffused.
Abstract: We examine rationalized logics developed within discourses of the philosophy of science for implications for the organization of new knowledge. These logics, derived from a range of philosophies (structural realism, instrumentalism, problem solving, foundationalism, critical realism) offer alternative vocabularies of motive, frameworks for reasoning, and guidelines for practice. We discuss the kinds of knowledge produced, the indicators of progress, the characteristic methods, exemplar organizations, and ways in which logics are combined and diffused.