Showing papers in "Human Relations in 2004"
TL;DR: In this article, the fundamental issues in performance measurement systems broadly conceived are discussed and three key moments or themes are identified: the foundations of measurement in counting practices, their inherent reductionism, and the relations between measurement and monitoring and control, such as auditing.
Abstract: This article explores fundamental issues in performance measurement systems broadly conceived. Three key moments or themes are identified. First, the foundations of measurement in counting practices, and their inherent reductionism, are considered. Second, the relations between measurement and technologies of monitoring and control, such as auditing, are discussed. Third, first- and second-order measurement (meta-measurement) are distinguished, respectively as particular institutions of counting and data production, and as related dense networks of calculating experts operating on these numbers within specific cultures of objectivity. Finally, arguments about the consequences of performance measurement systems are evaluated, contrasting democratic enthusiasm for performance measurement control technologies with the view that they are some kind of ‘fatal remedy’. In place of a simple dichotomy of trust or distrust in numbers, the development of performance measurement instruments is argued to be a cycle of...
397 citations
TL;DR: In the course of inductively studying an organizational spin-off, evidence of identity differentiation based on hierarchy level emerged in interview-, documentation-, and observation-based data as discussed by the authors, which indicated that higher levels of the hierarchy tended to see identity in light of the organization's strategy, whereas lower aspects of the hierarchical saw it in relation to the organizational culture.
Abstract: While theory and research have identified the possibility for multiple organizational identities to exist within an organization, there is little empirical evidence on how differentiation occurs or what its implications are for the organization In the course of inductively studying an organizational spin-off, evidence of identity differentiation based on hierarchy level emerged in interview-, documentation-, and observation-based data Higher levels of the hierarchy tended to see identity in light of the organization’s strategy, whereas lower aspects of the hierarchy saw it in relation to the organization’s culture This identity differentiation was evident in marked differences in the perceptions organizational members had about: (i) the nature of organizational identity; (ii) the most salient identity-based discrepancies; (iii) the basis for organizational identity change; and (iv) how identity change can be implemented After examining how and why this hierarchical differentiation occurred, I discuss
254 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive model that examined the relationship between job and life satisfaction and a broad personality construct called core self-evaluations, as well as non-work satisfaction and environmental variables, using a nationally representative (US), longitudinal data set.
Abstract: Research indicates that job satisfaction is significantly related to life satisfaction. However, previous studies have not included variables that may confound the relationship. Furthermore, the vast majority of studies have relied on cross-sectional data. I tested a comprehensive model that examined the relationship between job and life satisfaction and a broad personality construct called ‘core self-evaluations’, as well as nonwork satisfaction and environmental variables, using a nationally representative (US), longitudinal data set. Results indicated that core self-evaluations was significantly related to both job satisfaction and life satisfaction over time, and that the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction was not significant after taking into account the effects of core self-evaluations and nonwork satisfaction. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
252 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze how measurement tools influence the legitimacy of an industry and the systemic power within it and discuss the implications of their findings for research into measurement tools in the areas of management or business and society.
Abstract: The organizational literature on emerging industries has emphasized the need for institutional entrepreneurs - actors who give the new activity legitimacy and determine its patterns of behaviour. However, little empirical research has been carried out on the strategies that institutional entrepreneurs employ in order to achieve legitimacy for their activity. In this article, we suggest that an institutional entrepreneur can use the development of measurement tools as a strategy to develop its own legitimacy and power. By looking at a French entrepreneurial company’s development of tools to measure corporate social performance, we analyse how measurement tools influence the legitimacy of an industry and the systemic power within it. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for research into measurement tools in the areas of management or business and society.
244 citations
TL;DR: The epistemological and phenomenological consequences of psychometrically "boxing" emotion are, it is argued, problematic and restrictive as mentioned in this paper, which may be seen in the power and professional prestige it affords to the measurers and in the consequences to those classified by measurement.
Abstract: This article examines critically the recent growth of emotion measurement in organizational behaviour. The epistemological and phenomenological consequences of psychometrically ‘boxing’ emotion are, it is argued, problematic and restrictive. This may be seen in the power and professional prestige it affords to the measurers and in the consequences to those classified by measurement. This is particularly so when an emotion is presented as key to personal or organizational success. Emotional intelligence is a strong illustration of these issues, where ‘experts’ ascribe positive value to people with high emotional intelligence quotients (EQ), and low EQs are regarded as suitable cases for training. How can emotion be ‘known’, other than through measurement and numbers? The article suggests some different approaches towards researching an important, but enigmatic, concept.
211 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a framework of interpretation is developed to assist in the distinction between organizations on the basis of their boundary properties, which is applied to the setting up and development of a virtual organization.
Abstract: A basic tenet of this article is that the nature of an organization’s or group’s boundaries influences the ability of its members to exert influence on other organizations and groups. The organizations in the study are of different size and form, including an informal group, institutional sub-units, educational institutions and a virtual organization. A framework of interpretation is developed to assist in the distinction between organizations on the basis of their boundary properties. The framework is applied to the setting up and development of a virtual organization. It is used to interpret how three key developments between the organizations were possible due to differences in their respective boundary characteristics. The findings are critiqued and implications are suggested.
210 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a field study is presented identifying aspects of a culture management program aimed at significantly reorganizing the meaning of the inside/outside spatial divide among call-centre employees.
Abstract: This article suggests that the concept of organizational boundaries evokes a spatial metaphor. While the scant literature exploring the social geography of organizational life has pointed to the powerladen nature of spatiality, it does so only within the workplace. Our article maintains that the very boundary separating the inside from the outside of organizations is an equally important instrument for controlling labour. In light of the permutations that this boundary is currently undergoing, a field study is presented identifying aspects of a culture management programme aimed at significantly reorganizing the meaning of the inside/outside spatial divide among call-centre employees. This entailed a two-way process in which typically ‘private’ spatial practices are drawn into the site of production and organizational norms are encouraged outside work. The implications that these techniques have for employee autonomy are raised as important concerns.
205 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a particular, relational, narrative of social construction processes and draw upon this relational narrative to develop three themes: 1) AI and social constructionism should be viewed as variable social constructions and not fixed ‘things' and 2) if theory and method co-define one another, then AI is much more tha...
Abstract: Appreciative inquiry (AI) has become increasingly popular as a social constructionist approach to organizational change and development. Many claims are made about its status and value but there are few published evaluation studies. Furthermore, some interesting and important issues arise as to how AI can be evaluated appropriately – given its social constructionist context. The heart of our argument is that AI could appropriately and usefully be evaluated using the approach of ‘responsive evaluation’. We lay out our views by putting forward a particular, relational, narrative of social construction processes. We then draw upon this relational narrative to develop three themes. One theme is that both AI and social constructionism should be viewed as variable social constructions and not fixed ‘things’. This means that AI manifests in many different ways in different local-cultural and local-historical contexts. 1 A related theme is that, if theory and method co-define one another, then AI is much more tha...
187 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the potential for managerial action where the paradox is held open through the use of theory on "serious playfulness" and argue that paradoxes, as intrinsic features in organizational life, cannot always be resolved through cognitive processes.
Abstract: It has been argued that organizational life typically contains paradoxical situations such as efforts to manage change which nonetheless seem to reinforce inertia. Four logical options for coping with paradox have been explicated, three of which seek resolution and one of which ‘keeps the paradox open’. The purpose of this article is to explore the potential for managerial action where the paradox is held open through the use of theory on ‘serious playfulness’. Our argument is that paradoxes, as intrinsic features in organizational life, cannot always be resolved through cognitive processes. What may be possible, however, is that such paradoxes are transformed, or ‘moved on’ through action and as a result the overall change effort need not be stalled by the existence of embedded paradoxes.
168 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the theoretical foundations and practical features of SMD are identified through social movements which have enabled the diffusion of religious practices into secular life and led to the development of a more spiritualized psychology.
Abstract: This article seeks to identify the theoretical foundations and practical features of spiritual management development (SMD) through social movements which have enabled the diffusion of religious practices into secular life and led to the development of a more spiritualized psychology. Although similarities can be seen with outdoor management development, SMD is distinctive because it encourages subjects to search for meaning in their everyday working life through engagement with an inner self. It thus encourages an internalized, implicit form of religiosity where the search for self-understanding and the search for meaning are closely aligned. Through a recontextualized, critical reading of the idealistic, Utopian visions portrayed by Maslow and Fromm and the spiritual, transpersonal psychologies of Jung and Assagioli, the intellectual foundations from which SMD practice has developed are traced. Analysis of the texts associated with SMD practice illustrates how these discourses are made meaningful to man...
166 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, 12 faculty directors of graduate liberal studies programs primarily in the US were interviewed by recorded telephone conversation in an effort to understand how they define interdisciplinarity, the intellectual aims to which they aspire, and their views about the nature of reality in knowledge development.
Abstract: Twelve faculty directors of graduate liberal studies programs primarily in the US were interviewed by recorded telephone conversation in an effort to understand how they define interdisciplinarity, the intellectual aims to which they aspire, and their views about the nature of reality in knowledge development. Classification of their comments reinforces other writers’ observations that scholars differ in the degree to which knowledge integration defines interdisciplinarity and they differ in the degree to which they believe interdisciplinary knowledge is endogenous or exogenous to the university. Based on their views of knowledge integration and the social relevance of knowledge, four types of interdisciplinary scholars are hypothesized. Of additional interest are the perceived functions of interdisciplinary work and the way that these scholars by-pass philosophical debates about the nature of reality in favor of their practices of scholarship. Implications for the nature, meaning, and practice of interdi...
TL;DR: In this article, cross-cultural comparisons of the relationship between human values and both continuance commitment (CC) and affective commitment (AC) are presented using data collected from 1259 nurses from Hungary, Italy, the UK, and USA.
Abstract: Cross-cultural comparisons of the relationship between human values and both continuance commitment (CC) and affective commitment (AC) are presented using data collected from 1259 nurses from Hungary, Italy, the UK, and USA. That correlations between Schwartz’s (1992) values and both AC and CC will differ between communal and contractual cultures was partially supported. Moreover, certain values correlate more often with AC or CC depending on the culture one is in. Openness to change values accounted for significant variance in AC in Hungary, Italy and the USA. Pan-culturally, openness to change values partially mediated the effects of countries on AC. It is concluded that values likely influence one’s organizational commitment and that the values people endorse might be influenced by national culture.
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative analysis of the events leading to the deaths of eight climbers on Mt Everest in 1996 illustrates the breakdown of learning in teams and the role of teams in organizational disasters.
Abstract: Qualitative analysis of the events leading to the deaths of eight climbers on Mt Everest in 1996 illustrates the breakdown of learning in teams. The analysis contributes to research on the role of teams in organizational disasters by considering team learning and development as the basis for success in complex and changing organizations. Multiple qualitative methods reveal three precursors associated with the breakdown of learning in teams: narrowly defined purpose, directive leadership and failure to sense an ill-defined problem. Findings have implications for normal disasters and sense-making, performance in short-term project teams, and organizational learning.
TL;DR: In an ethnographic study of an indigenous beaver trapper belonging to the Cree Nation, Whiteman and Cooper introduced the concept of ecological embeddedness as mentioned in this paper, which is a model that reverses the traditional practice of viewing managers as primitives and applying concepts employed in studying native communities to organizations.
Abstract: Sustainability and sound ecological management of the natural environment, allied to the expanding body of work on managing tacit and explicit knowledge, has led to an increased interest in the contribution which anthropology can make to the practical adaptation of indigenous environmental knowledge and practice to the improvement of organization in western societies. In an exemplary ethnographic study of an indigenous beaver trapper belonging to the Cree Nation, Whiteman and Cooper introduced the concept of ecological embeddedness. Their study could be considered a model that reverses the traditional practice of viewing managers as though they were primitives and applying concepts employed in studying native communities to organizations. They consider indigenous practitioners as managers, identify their management practices, and then reconsider contemporary management practice towards the environment in this light. They argue that to be ecologically embedded as a manager is to identify personally with th...
TL;DR: The concept of boundaries as relational processes has been central and ubiquitous in the social sciences, especially in areas such as the formation of individual, group or national identities, the creation of class, ethnic or gender inequalities or the social construction of professions, knowledge and science itself as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The concept of boundaries as relational processes has been central and ubiquitous in the social sciences, especially in areas such as the formation of individual, group or national identities, the creation of class, ethnic or gender inequalities, or the social construction of professions, knowledge and science itself. A key theme running through these literatures is how symbolic resources are used to create, perpetuate, or challenge institutionalized differences or inequalities by creating distinctions between ‘us’ and ‘them’, the legitimate or illegitimate, the acceptable or unacceptable, the in or out (Lamont & Molnar, 2002). A central focus of study has thus been how ‘symbolic boundaries’ (Lamont, 2001), particular classification systems enshrined in cognitive schemata have very real consequences in forming and sustaining corresponding social boundaries. In the management literature, however, there has been little serious and concerted study of the formation, properties and consequences of boundaries per se as complex, shifting, socially constructed entities. Organizational boundaries are often treated as socially and organizationally unproblematic, to be determined by considerations of economic efficiency, as, for example, in the case of transaction cost economics (Williamson, 1985), advancing a perspective originally proposed by Coase (1937). From a transaction cost perspective, for example, new technologies such as the internet can either enlarge or shrink firm boundaries through their effects on production costs that influence whether a productive task is outsourced or carried out internally (Afuah, 2003). The property rights approach (Grossman & Hart, 1986) has also been very influential in the theorizing of boundaries. In this approach, the boundaries of the firm are determined by the common ownership of assets that grants the owner bargaining power when issues of incomplete contracting, opportunism or hold-up problems emerge.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the consequences of sexual harassment and its consequences for whistle-blowers and their organizations and found that sexual harassment is different from other forms of organizational wrongdoing in its consequences.
Abstract: Earlier research on whistle-blowing in organizations has usually investigated whistle-blowing about wrongdoing of various types, with the possibility that results are influenced by the great variety of types of wrongdoing reported by whistle-blowers. Earlier research on sexual harassment has focused primarily on antecedents of the event and outcomes for the individual only, rather than organizational consequences. In this study we attempted to examine both questions: is sexual harassment different from other forms of organizational wrongdoing in its consequences for whistle-blowers and their organizations, and does examination of the sequential process of whistle-blowing about sexual harassment provide a fuller understanding of consequences as well as antecedents for whistle-blowing generally? Results of LISREL modeling of questionnaire data collected in 1994 from some 13,000 US government employees were similar to findings from earlier studies of organizational wrongdoing and whistle-blowing, where the n...
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of individualism/collectivism orientations (solitary work preference, supremacy of individual goals, competitiveness, and self-reliance dimensions) and perceived task interdependence on two employee attitudes: team loyalty and prosocial behavior were investigated.
Abstract: Two-hundred and four blue-collar employees participated in a study in which we tested for the effects of individualism/collectivism (I/C) orientations (solitary work preference, supremacy of individual goals, competitiveness, and self-reliance dimensions) and perceived task interdependence on two employee attitudes: team loyalty and prosocial behavior. We found support for the hypothesis that perceived task interdependence had positive effects on team loyalty and prosocial behavior. Further, solitary work preference, supremacy of individual goals, and self-reliance dimensions of I/C had main effects on loyalty to the team. The supremacy of individual goals dimension of I/C also had a main effect on pro-social behavior. We also found that task interdependence moderated the relationships between solitary work preference and pro-social behavior. The implications of our findings are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider role conflict in the logic of dynamic communication networks and reconceptualize ritual and routine behavior in boundary transitions as not simply aids to mental transitions but also as communicative and symbolic performance that is oriented toward other role senders.
Abstract: As virtual workplaces and homework programs become more common, workers often find themselves inhabiting multiple worlds and multiple roles simultaneously. For these individuals, boundary transitions are both more frequent and more challenging. This paper expands current theory on work-related boundary transitions by: (1) conceptualizing role conflict in the logic of dynamic communication networks, and (2) reconceptualizing ritual and routine behavior in boundary transitions as not simply aids to mental transitions but also as communicative and symbolic performance that is oriented toward other role senders. Underlying the framework is the concept of time-space paths (Giddens, 1979; Heidegger, 1996) as critical elements of role boundary identification and demarcation. This paper contributes to a better understanding of boundary issues for homeworkers by using a communication framework and emphasizing the agency that homeworkers have to mold others' expectations.
TL;DR: In this article, a three-part typology of membership strategies in professional fields is proposed: association, stratification, and colonization, each of which effects particular sets of interaction rituals, transforms subject positions in the professional field, and depends on specific sets of conditions.
Abstract: In this article, the concept of membership is examined from an institutional perspective, focusing on the dynamics of membership in professional fields. It is argued that membership in professional fields is a product of interaction rituals that structure the boundaries of fields, work to distribute power differentially within fields, and consequently engender strategies of resistance on the part of those not privileged by existing conditions. This framework motivates an empirical examination of Canadian public accountants’ membership strategies in the emerging field of environmental audit. Based on this study, a three-part typology of membership strategies in professional fields is proposed: association, stratification, colonization, each of which effects particular sets of interaction rituals, transforms subject positions in the professional field, and depends on specific sets of conditions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a conceptualization of organizational discourse as situated symbolic action, drawing from the fields of speech act theory, rhetoric, ethnography of communication and social constructionism.
Abstract: This article presents a conceptualization of organizational discourse as situated symbolic action, drawing from the fields of speech act theory, rhetoric, ethnography of communication and social constructionism. This conceptualization is illustrated through analysis of an episode of negotiated order accessed through an organization development intervention; a meeting of senior managers of Systech, a major IT organization, to decide on a new business model. This perspective helps to respond to some of the key challenges facing the organizational discourse field in terms of developing more clearly specified conceptualizations of discourse suited to the organizational level of analysis, achieving a more holistic and discourse-sensitive understanding of empirical contexts by organizational researchers, and illustrating that organizational discourse analysis is not simply an intellectual luxury but can have pragmatic, relevant implications.
TL;DR: The authors argue that the discourses, techniques and imperatives associated with the management of work organizations are increasingly colonizing the everyday sphere of human communication and sense-making, and argue that such discourses constitute a material signifier of what is an ongoing managerialist colonization of everyday life.
Abstract: This article attempts to reflect critically on the extent to which the discourses, techniques and imperatives associated with the management of work organizations are increasingly colonizing the everyday sphere of human communication and sense-making. Drawing on critical social theory and particularly Habermas’s account of ‘the rational organization of everyday life’, as well as what has come to be known as critical management studies (CMS), the article begins by locating itself within contemporary debates on management and everyday life. It then proceeds, drawing on recent research involving a critical analysis of post-Excellence management books, to map out the discourse commonly encountered in such texts before going on to explore the presence of a notably similar discourse appearing within contemporary cultural resources such as self-help manuals and, more notably, lifestyle magazines. It is then argued that such texts constitute a material signifier of what is an ongoing managerialist colonization of...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a sociological study of emotions in organizations based on audio-recording, in this case managerial elites' naturally occurring interactions, to provide the basis for an "empirical filling out" of emotions research.
Abstract: This article contributes to sociological studies of emotions in organizations. It resides upon an innovative move to extend the ethnographic approach to include audio-recording, in this case managerial elites’ naturally occurring interactions, to provide the basis for an ‘empirical filling out’ of emotions research. Furthermore, theoretically to develop this field in ways that encompass the simultaneous speaking of emotionality and rationality, Nash’s account of rhetoric as emotion is drawn upon. In particular, the four discursive constituents which orators are said to need for ‘moving an audience’ are deployed to analytically trace how elites intertwine emotional expressiveness and a rhetoric of rationality to influence management/strategic processes. These four constituents are empathetic matter/great theme, stance, utterance design (taxis) and utterance relation (lexis). Three brief transcribed extracts of elites-at-talk are reproduced from one ethnography to illustrate the scope of a fine-grained anal...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on the case of a network of industrial insurance brokers that has been the subject of a longitudinal study over a period of 10 years, where the development of this network has been observed with respect to when and how it was evaluated, and what effects this evaluation had on the evolution of the network.
Abstract: This article reports on the case of a network of industrial insurance brokers that has been the subject of a longitudinal study over a period of 10 years. Among other things, the development of this network has been observed with respect to when and how it was evaluated, and what effects this evaluation had on the evolution of the network. In this respect, it is one of the very few studies to have investigated evaluation practices in interorganizational networks. The case shows that, on the one hand, ‘reflexive monitoring’ (Giddens) is a common practice and a necessary condition for organizing and managing networks, and, on the other hand, more formal evaluation procedures, which are supportive to network development at some point in time, may not always be possible or even necessary. This insight does not contradict the thesis that we are increasingly moving towards an ‘auditing society’ (Power). However, it highlights questions regarding the general demands for a more or less permanent evaluation of org...
TL;DR: In this paper, the capacity for anxiety toleration is considered as a moderating variable that influences whether correct sense can be made of the situation, and, in turn, whether the likelihood of survival will increase.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to deepen our understanding of the period during which a disaster unfolds, here called the ‘critical period’. Previous research has shown cases in which sense-making is essential for survival during this period, but it is argued here that there are other cases in which sense-making compounds the problems. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, the capacity for anxiety toleration is postulated as a moderating variable that influences whether correct sense can be made of the situation, and, in turn, whether the likelihood of survival will increase. Implications for theory are examined.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effects of two versions of person-environment fit (supplies-values and demands-abilities fit) on creative behavior and context satisfaction and found that creative behavior was almost exclusively predicted by personal characteristics (desire for creative climate, actual creative abilities).
Abstract: Numerous studies that have demonstrated interaction effects between individual and contextual factors suggest the potential positive effect of congruent personal and environmental characteristics on creativity. None of the prior studies, however, has explicitly and systematically tested the formal theory of person–environment fit in the context of creativity. This study examined the effects of two versions of person–environment fit (supplies–values and demands–abilities fit) on creative behavior and context satisfaction. The results, based on longitudinal data collected from management students and their instructors, showed that creative behavior was almost exclusively predicted by personal characteristics (desire for creative climate, actual creative abilities), whereas context satisfaction was strongly influenced by environmental characteristics (current creative climate, required creative abilities). The present results indicate a potential division of roles between personal and environmental character...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore how both culture and performance may be viewed as emergent properties of service design configurations and explore how such co-production processes are modulated by specific design configurations.
Abstract: While there is emerging evidence to suggest that (organizational) culture can affect the performance and quality of health services, little attention has been directed at how these relationships might be mediated, facilitated or attenuated by aspects of service design (i.e. those arrangements that combine facilities, staff and service users in the co-production of care). Using two case studies set in mental health services, this article explores how both culture and performance may be viewed as emergent properties of service design configurations. Thus central to ideas of service re-design should be notions of service users as the co-producers (with staff) of both organizational culture and organizational performance, as well as a clearer understanding of how such co-production processes are modulated by specific design configurations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the crossover of state anxiety between spouses in working couples in Israel when one of them faces unemployment was studied and the authors concluded that prevention programs dealing with the unemploye...
Abstract: This study focuses on the crossover of state anxiety between spouses in working couplesin Israel when one of them faces unemployment. We assessed state anxiety, financial hardship and social support for both spouses at two points in time. Participants were 113 unemployed people who came to the Academics Employment Exchange to apply for the ‘unemployment grant’. They and their spouses completed questionnaires at the beginning (wave 1) and end (wave 2) of the 2-month period for which they were entitled to the ‘unemployment grant’. Findings demonstrate that on both occasions, the economic hardship was a positive predictor of anxiety for both the unemployed and their spouses and social support was inversely related to their anxiety. Furthermore, there was a significant bidirectional crossover effect of state anxiety from the unemployed to the spouse and from the spouse to the unemployed at both waves after controlling for all relevant variables. We concluded that prevention programs dealing with the unemploye...
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive social structural model of social power and status effects on victimization in organizations was developed and tested, and they found that asymmetric relationships between two actors in the friendship and advice networks, and structural equivalence in the advice and dislike networks are associated with perceptual agreement.
Abstract: This article develops and tests a comprehensive social structural model of social power and status effects on victimization in organizations. Victimization focuses on the extent to which individuals perceive themselves to be the target of negative or aggressive behaviors by others. The conceptual framework elucidates how formal and informal status differences associated with access to social powers in three different social networks are related to victimization perceptions. Using dyads as the unit of analysis in a sample of government employees, we find that asymmetric relationships between two actors in the friendship and advice networks, and structural equivalence in the advice and dislike networks are associated with perceptual agreement. The results suggest that stratification in a social system may create the context in which victimization thrives because it affects access to informal forms of social power.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report a qualitative study that explores how employees who are responsible for carrying out a downsizing experience and react to their downsizing responsibilities, and demonstrate that, when the work of carrying out the downsizing becomes emotionally taxing, downsizing agents react by cognitively, emotionally, and physically distancing themselves from their roles.
Abstract: This article reports a qualitative study that explores how employees who are responsible for carrying out a downsizing - ‘downsizing agents’ - experience and react to their downsizing responsibilities. Our results demonstrate that, when the work of carrying out a downsizing becomes emotionally taxing, downsizing agents react by cognitively, emotionally, and physically distancing themselves from their roles. We explore forces that make carrying out a downsizing more taxing and the conditions under which distancing reactions become more likely.
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of the data on decision-making at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the years preceding the explosion of Challenger is carried out using concepts from social studies of science literature.
Abstract: For over three decades social studies of science have investigated ‘objectivity’ as a central, socially constructed assumption in scientific and engineering work. This literature has seldom been utilized in the study of organizations despite the fact that knowledge production and knowledge use in scientific and engineering organizations are presumed to be objective or independent of individual and social influences. In this article, the social studies of science literature as it conceptualizes and understands objectivity is reviewed. An analysis of the data on decision-making at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the years preceding the explosion of Challenger is carried out using concepts from this literature. Data on decision-making at NASA during the years preceding the explosion of Columbia are also analyzed. It is shown that the culture of objectivity at NASA interacted with time pressures to produce a misunderstanding of flight risk. This misunderstanding resulted from t...