Showing papers in "Human Relations in 2007"

Strategizing: The challenges of a practice perspective

Abstract: While the strategy-as-practice research agenda has gained considerable momentum over the past five years, many challenges still remain in developing it into a robust field of research. In this editorial, we define the study of strategy from a practice perspective and propose five main questions that the strategy-as-practice agenda seeks to address. We argue that a coherent approach to answering these questions may be facilitated using an overarching conceptual framework of praxis, practices and practitioners. This framework is used to explain the key challenges underlying the strategy-as-practice agenda and how they may be examined empirically. In discussing these challenges, we refer to the contributions made by existing empirical research and highlight under-explored areas that will provide fruitful avenues for future research. The editorial concludes by introducing the articles in the special issue.

Strategizing in pluralistic contexts: Rethinking theoretical frames:

Abstract: Pluralistic organizations characterized by multiple objectives, diffuse power and knowledge-based work processes present a complex challenge both for strategy theorists and for strategy practitioners because the very nature of strategy as usually understood (an explicit and unified direction for the organization) appears to contradict the natural dynamics of these organizations. Yet pluralism is to some extent always present in organizations and perhaps increasingly so. This article explores the usefulness of three alternate and complementary theoretical frames for understanding and influencing strategy practice in pluralistic contexts: Actor-Network Theory, Conventionalist Theory and the social practice perspective. Each of these frameworks has a predominant focus on one of the fundamental attributes of pluralism: power, values and knowledge. Together, they offer a multi-faceted understanding of the complex practice of strategizing in pluralistic contexts.

Post-processual challenges for the emerging strategy-as-practice perspective: Discovering strategy in the logic of practice

Abstract: The recent turn to ‘strategy practice’ offers a genuine opportunity for establishing an alternative perspective that is clearly distinct from the traditional strategy process view. The challenge is to clarify and articulate an alternative set of ontological and epistemological premises for founding this new approach to theorizing strategy.What has been called the ‘practice turn’ in social theory provides this alternative basis for a ‘post-processual’ approach to theorizing strategy-as-practice. This ‘practice turn’ involves a radical reformulation of the intractable problem of agency and structure that enables us to bypass the ‘micro/macro’ distinction so intimately tied to the social sciences in general and to strategy research in particular. Already, there are signs that the discourse of the strategy-as-practice research community reflects this awareness and are thus straining towards some form of ‘trans-individual’ explanation that is not restricted to the mere ‘activities’ of strategy actors nor to th...

Organizational cynicism: Extending the exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect model of employees' responses to adverse conditions in the workplace

Abstract: We propose to extend the Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect (EVLN) model of employees' responses to adverse organizational circumstances with the construct of Organizational Cynicism. Structural equation modeling was used to fit the data provided by 159 office employees of a large Dutch trade union, who were involved in a restructuring program at the time of the research, to the postulated five-factor model. Results indicated that the model showed an acceptable fit, providing suppor t for including organizational cynicism as a distinct response in the model. Multiple regression analysis was used for the differential prediction of the five responses, using two situational variables (role conflict and autonomy), two personality variables (asser tiveness and rigidity), and selected interactions. The best predictions are obtained for exit, cynicism and loyalty. Loyalty is predicted by low role conflict and high autonomy, whereas cynicism and exit are about equally predicted by high role conflict, low autonomy,...

Struggling over subjectivity: A discursive analysis of strategic development in an engineering group:

Abstract: We have seen growing interest in discursive perspectives on strategy. This perspective holds great promise for development of an understanding on how strategy discourse and subjectivity are intertwined. We wish to add to this existing research by outlining a discursive struggle approach to subjectivity. To understand the complex subjectification and empowering/disempowering effects of organizational strategy discourse, this approach focuses on organization-specific discourse mobilizations and various ways of resistance. Drawing on an analysis of the discourses and practices of ‘strategic development’ in an engineering and consulting group we provide an empirical illustration of such struggles over subjectivity. In particular, we report three examples of competing ways of making sense of and giving sense to strategic development, with specific subjectification tendencies. First, we show how corporate management can mobilize and appropriate a specific kind of strategy discourse to attempt to gain control of...

Work–life boundary management and the personal digital assistant

Abstract: New mobile information and communication technologies are of special interest to researchers seeking to understand the problematic of boundaries between work and personal-life. This study examines how workers used and interpreted the personal digital assistant (PDA) as a boundary management resource. Using a protocol that combined structured, closed-ended questions with open-ended questions, 42 users were interviewed. The data were analyzed to examine individuals' practices in using this technology, the interpretive resources they drew upon, and the ways in which the spirit of the device's design intersected with their practices and interpretations. Results suggest that the spirit of the device is control, and that users interpreted their technological practices as expressions of personal agency, using the PDA to control the work—life boundary through both integration and segmentation of work and personal-life.

Co-workers who telework and the impact on those in the office: Understanding the implications of virtual work for co-worker satisfaction and turnover intentions

Abstract: Telework and other forms of virtual work have experienced dramatic growth over the last decade. While research is beginning to understand its impacts on teleworkers themselves, studies to date have not looked at its effect on those who remain in the office. This study therefore shifts the focus to non-teleworkers in offices where telework is present, to investigate if the prevalence of teleworkers in an office impacts the work outcomes of non-teleworkers. Using a sample of 240 professional employees, results suggest teleworker prevalence is negatively associated with co-worker satisfaction, and that this relationship is influenced by the amount of time co-workers telework, the extent of face-to-face interactions, and job autonomy. Moreover, a non-teleworker's satisfaction with co-workers was also found to be negatively associated with turnover intentions. Together, results suggest the need to consider the full range of telework's impacts including the potential adverse consequences for non-teleworkers.

Nobody in charge: Distributed change agency in healthcare:

Abstract: This article illustrates how distributed change agency can implement complex organizational changes in the absence of formal management plans, roles, and structures. Distributed change agency typically involves small teams and senior groups. In this qualitative study of service improvements in the treatment of prostate cancer at an acute hospital, Grange, change roles were distributed more widely, with responsibilities `migrating' among a large informal cast supporting four central characters. This distribution appears to have been triggered by the change goals and substance, and by the network organization through which services were delivered. Cross-case comparisons with other hospitals, Henley and Norwood, suggest that a combination of factors contributed to the development of a distributed approach. Analytical generalization invites speculation concerning the transferability of this model, with `nobody in charge', to other settings. One policy implication concerns the provision of development in change agency competencies to staff other than those in senior positions.

Stretching out and expanding work practices in time and space: The case of telemedicine

Abstract: The article utilizes the imagery of stretching out and expanding for exploring what happens when medical practices and health working arrangements are temporally and spatially reconfigured. Based on the tenets of contemporary practice theory, and on the back of a three years' longitudinal study of telemedicine in northern Italy, the article investigates some of the practical issues raised by the subversion of the proximity principles that still underscore most current medical practices. The study argues that in order to cope with the expansion of their activity practitioners had to face three main practical problems: they had to redistribute their work and tasks among human and non-human elements, they had to reframe the ways in which the activity was made accountable, and they had to reconfigure the relationships between all those involved. The stretching out and expanding of medical practices in space and time implies thus much more than a simple redistribution of what was already there and it triggers profound changes which included the reframing of the object and content of the activity, the emergence of new artefacts and new identities, and the modification of the geography of the power positions between all those involved.

The object of knowledge: The role of objects in biomedical innovation

Abstract: Understanding innovation in the biomedical field requires an appreciation of its highly interactive nature and of the many professional and organizational boundaries that create barriers to interaction and the sharing of knowledge. Yet, research to date has directed much less attention to understanding the intricacies of interactive biomedical innovation in practice, than it has to exploring the factors influencing innovation at an institutional level. Drawing upon empirical research and taking an approach informed by symbolic interactionism and a practice-based perspective on knowledge and learning, this article offers insights into the processes involved in supporting knowledge sharing by focusing on `objects' and the varying roles they play (instrumental and symbolic) in enabling (or potentially disabling) interaction amongst groups and organizations involved in biomedical innovation projects.

Making sense of different responses to corporate change

Abstract: Organizations can respond to change in a number of ways such as by transforming the organization, by making symbolic changes, by customizing the change to better fit the context, or by corrupting the change and actually reinforcing status quo. In this article we compare how three business units respond to the same corporate change initiative.We traced organizational responses to change over time and found that responses to change initially varied across business units, but over time most organizational changes were customized to fit the business unit context. We argue that organizational-level responses and how these develop over time can be explained by examining individuals’ interpretative responses. Through inductive analysis we identify five interpretative responses at the individual level: convergent response, divergent response, unresolved sensemaking, creative response, and non-compliance, and show how these shape organizational-level responses.

Strategizing in the multi-business firm: Strategy teams at multiple levels and over time

Abstract: Strategy teams have received little attention in the strategic management literature. The goal of this article is to fill this theoretical and empirical gap by studying the practices of strategy teams. Drawing upon an in-depth longitudinal case study of a FTSE-100 multi-business firm and evidence from 36 interviews, this study points to the importance of both actions and interactions of corporate centre and business unit strategy teams during the strategy process. Our study also shows that acting and knowing of these teams is dynamic, collective and distributed within the multi-business firm across two interrelated levels: within the team and across teams, each involving both recursive and adaptive activities. Our article is divided into three parts. The first outlines the theoretical and methodological issues for studying the practice of strategy teams in multi-business firms. In the second, our empirical findings are reported. Finally, the third part presents our contributions and some implications for future research.

`That is my job' How employees' role orientation affects their job performance

Abstract: Findings from two field studies support the proposition that the way individuals define their role, or their role orientation, is a powerful influence on their behaviour, resulting in more or less effective job performance. The first study showed that, within a relatively self-managing context, flexible role orientation predicted supervisory assessments of overall job performance, as well as a change in job performance. The second study showed flexible role orientation predicted job performance in high autonomy jobs but not low autonomy jobs. In both studies, role orientation predicted performance more strongly than other work attitudes, including job satisfaction, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and job aspiration. Collectively, the findings suggest that the development of a more flexible role orientation represents a relatively unexplored avenue for enhancing employee performance, particularly in self-managing contexts. As such, further research on the process of shaping and promoting emplo...

Resistance leadership: The overlooked potential in critical organization and leadership studies

Abstract: This article examines the role of leadership in mobilizing collective resistance in the workplace. Given the scarcity of dialogue between critical scholars and leadership studies, relatively little consideration is given to the role of leadership in resisting and potentially transforming structures of domination. The article describes some of the reasons why these areas of research have produced so little mutual work. We then make the argument that theories of leadership can be useful to the study of resistance by providing a grounded approach to theorizing agency, highlighting the role of mobilization and influence in change, and emphasizing participant attributions. In doing so, leadership studies gain important insights about the influence of deep structure power issues on perceptions of leaders, as well as material and symbolic limits on mobilization. The article adopts a dialectical perspective as a way of understanding issues of resistance leadership, and then discusses how existing literatures, rea...

A critique of transformational leadership: Moral, professional and contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations

Abstract: Our study of secondary schools in England illustrates the ineffective implementation of transformational leadership within public service organizations by policy-makers First, a rather narrow, managerialist variant of transformational leadership is promoted, which is resisted by school teachers and principals Second, associated with this, policy does not take account of the institutional context within which public services organizations operate Third, policy-makers, rather than leaders transform the context within which leadership takes place and any leadership discretion is constrained by central government audit Instead, moral, professional and contingent approaches to leadership are enacted at the local level with individualized, rather than dispersed leadership, as a consequence of regulatory and normative pressures

`Ethics' as a discursive resource for identity work

Abstract: This article analyses how participants in a not-for-profit service organization (the `Incubator') drew on understandings of 'ethics' in order to make sense of their individual and collective selves Identities are theorized as being constituted within discursive regimes, and notions of ethics are conceived as discursive resources on which individuals and groups may draw in their attempts to author versions of their self and organizational narratives We show how conceptions of ethics were a rich vein on which organizational members drew to elaborate narratives that legitimated particular modes of working and which cohered an otherwise quite disparate community of individuals The research contribution of this article is twofold First, we discuss how a discourse focused on ethics may be a strategic resource for identity work Second, we analyse how talk and writing about issues of ethics are implicated in relations of power and ongoing struggles for control over organizations conceived as discursive space

Conceptual note: Exploring the cognitive significance of organizational strategizing: A dual-process framework and research agenda

Abstract: The considerable volume of theory and research that has sought to illuminate the nature and significance of cognitive processes in strategy formulation and implementation represents but an important first step in the re-humanization of strategy research. In order to achieve the sorts of fine-grained analyses that will ultimately advance understanding of cognition in action, strategy researchers need to move beyond the static analysis of actors’ cognitive maps to a deeper understanding of what lies behind the actions of strategists as they engage with particular strategy practices in their praxis. To accomplish this key goal, strategy researchers need to become more reflective in their own practices, augmenting the observational and interview techniques advocated by various leading contributors to the strategy-as-practice (s-as-p) perspective with a profiling of the cognitive characteristics of strategists, based on psychometrically robust procedures. To this end, drawing on dual-process theories from cogn...

The transformational leader as pedagogue, physician, architect, commander, and saint: Five root metaphors in Jack Welch's letters to stockholders of General Electric:

Abstract: We analyse the corpus of CEO letters to stockholders that were signed by a widely revered business leader, Jack Welch, during his tenure as CEO of the General Electric Company [GE], 1981—2000. Our discussion is located within theory pertaining to transformational leadership. We examine Welch's language from the standpoint of how transformational leadership can be conceived as a rhetorical artefact of one-sided dialogue emanating from a powerful leader. We give particular attention to the saturation of Welch's discourse with metaphors, and argue that metaphors illuminate how transformational leadership and the accompanying construct of charisma manifest themselves in practice. Five root metaphors that heightened Welch's persuasive and rhetorical impact on his audience are identified and discussed: Welch as pedagogue , physician, architect, commander and saint . We advocate greater awareness of the rhetorical techniques employed by transformational leaders in attempts to broker compliance with their views.

Playing tick-box games: Interrelating defences in professional appraisal

Abstract: We here examine the introduction of appraisal for senior medical professionals. Our recent qualitative field research found four main experiences of appraisal (developmental, disappointed reflection, defensive assessment and cynical dismissal of appraisal as a waste of time), which we developed into a typology. We argue many professionals `play tick-box games' to give the impression of auditable practice while continuing to practise in a traditional way. We develop existing theory on the `audit society', social defences and `mock bureaucracy' to explain interrelating defences which occur in appraisal as a reaction to the risks and conflict experienced in professional regulation.

The relationship between trust, attachment, and antisocial work behaviors

Abstract: Three studies tested hypotheses derived from an integrative social exchange — attachment model suggesting that employees' trust in an organization or its authorities predicts antisocial work behaviors, which should be mediated by the extent to which employees feel attached to the organization and/or its members. Study 1 showed that perceptions of workgroup cohesion mediate the relationship between trust in senior management and antisocial work behaviors. Study 2 suggested that intentions to stay with the organization mediate the relationship between trust in supervisor and antisocial work behaviors. Study 3 found that the relationship between trust in organization and antisocial work behaviors was partially mediated by perceptions of workgroup cohesion. In sum, results provide converging evidence that trust relates to antisocial behaviors indirectly, through feelings of attachment to the organization and its members.

Committees as strategic practice: The role of strategic conversation in a public administration

Abstract: This longitudinal qualitative study examined the role of committees as strategic practice during the implementation of personnel development in a public administration. The results show that the interaction between the management levels is not only organized in formal committees where the middle managers undertake strategic initiatives and the strategic context is set by the senior managers. Rather, the middle managers and the senior managers organize the discussion on strategic issues in informal interactions around committees. These close informal interactions can be understood as a strategic conversation that entails the micro-mechanisms of generating an understanding, aligning towards an issue and making prearrangements which give support for the flow of discussion. The findings show that the strategic conversations are beneficial within shaping strategy as they frame the committee as strategic practice and enable the strategic context to be reshaped and redefined.

Networks and social capital in the UK television industry: The weakness of weak ties

Abstract: Accounts of the shift to post-industrial modes of employment have tended to present an over-simplified view of networks as an assemblage of contacts used to gain individual advantage in the labour market. Creative industries represent a challenge to this as typically they rely on networks to foster collaboration, trust and co-operation. In this article we explore how a variety of networks are used to promote both individual competition and co-operation in an industry where re-regulation has resulted in the break up of bureaucratic organizations and widespread casualization of the labour market. We argue that there is a need to extend the debate on the role of networks in a casualized labour market to examine how individuals organize themselves via the plethora of networks that result from organizational break up.We use qualitative data from a series of interviews with freelance television production workers in the United Kingdom to suggest that workers use networks as a source of competitive advantage and...

Less need to be there: Cross-level effects of work practices that support work-life flexibility and enhance group processes and group-level OCB

Abstract: Flexible work arrangements that give employees more control over when and where they work (such as part-time, flextime, and flexplace) have resulted in growing workplace trends of reduced face time, namely less visible physical time at the workplace. Most previous writings highlight negative effects on work group processes and effectiveness. In contrast, we develop a cross-level model specifying facilitating work practices that enhance group processes and effectiveness. These work practices: collaborative time management, re-definition of work contributions, proactive availability, and strategic self-presentation enhance overall awareness of others' needs in the group and overall caring about group goals, reduce process losses, and enhance group-level organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Our model presents testable propositions to guide empirical research on potentially positive effects of individual reduced face time on group outcomes.

Political skill and influence effectiveness: Testing portions of an expanded Ferris and Judge (1991) model

Abstract: The present study tested por tions of an expanded Ferris and Judge (1991) framework regarding influence processes in human resources decisions and actions. In particular, the roles of political skill and a particularly efficacious influence tactic, rationality, were examined with respect to their interactive effects on supervisor perceptions and evaluations. Online questionnaires were used to collect data from full-time, non-faculty employees of a large south-eastern US public university. To avoid problems associated with common method variance resulting from same source data, supervisors rated subordinates on outcome measures and subordinates supplied data on predictors. The final sample was comprised of a matched dyadic data set of 291 subordinates and their supervisors. Results indicated support for the hypotheses. Specifically, political skill was found to directly relate to the use of rationality and moderate the positive relationship between rationality and two supervisory perceptions known to affec...

When and why is small beautiful? The experience of work in the small firm:

Abstract: Small firms account for a substantial proportion of employment in advanced economies; yet understanding of the quality of jobs in them remains poor. Studies using national-level data find that indicators such as autonomy are high but find it hard to say why. Analyses within small firms stress the structuring of jobs and not size as such. Data from 384 employees in small firms from three contrasting sectors are used to test three hypotheses. 1) There is a pure size effect; such an effect was found in such areas as good relations with managers, and explained in terms of the informality of small firms. 2) Size is in fact a proxy for other influences; there was little evidence of this. 3) Factors not associated with size are more important; features such as autonomy and work pressure reflected sectoral differences and not size. Overall, qualified size effects were found, suggesting the continuation of traditional small-firm relationships.

Human resources development practices and their association with employee attitudes: Between traditional and new careers

Abstract: This is a study of human resource development practices (as perceived by employees) and their association with their attitudes in the context of new career theories. It uses two heterogeneous UK samples of employees from six companies in different industries. Both regression models (from the 1997 and 2000 cohorts) support the mediating role of satisfaction with development on the relationship between perceived significance of development practices and organizational commitment. There are trends in attitudes about the significance of various development factors between cohorts of employees (with respondents in 2000 more inclined to state that self-motivation has been a significant factor in improving their Job performance, and with lateral development also reported as more significant in 2000). A shift in development practices can be observed as a progression from knowledge acquisition via formalized training courses, towards development as a participation model based on challenging work and coaching by an...

The transferability of management practices: Examining cross-national differences in reward preferences

Abstract: This study examines the multi-dimensional nature of reward preferences (i.e. types, systems, and criteria) in the cross-border context, an area not sufficiently addressed by prior research. We found empirical evidence to suggest both similarities and differences in employee reward preferences. Although culture may impinge on reward preferences, this study suggests that its influence may be diminishing or giving way to a range of other contextual forces. Directions for future research are also presented.

Inter-team coordination activities as a source of customer satisfaction

Abstract: This article reports the results of a micro-level study into firm resources. It involved a comparative qualitative study of the activities contributing to service delivery in two similar but differentially performing divisions, one perceived by customers to be a high quality provider, the other a lower quality provider. The results indicate that there were differences in the incidence of inter-team coordination activities and that effective inter-team coordination was a critical factor in delivering increased customer satisfaction. This suggests that these activities, by causing staff to interact across internal boundaries, may constitute a resource advantage. We propose that these activities are critical for both the coordination of service delivery activities and knowledge exchange, and that contextual factors may have an impact on these activities. The study makes a contribution to the resource-based view and strategy as practice literatures and illustrates how a practice-orientated approach can inform...

'Othering' older worker identity in recruitment

Abstract: Current research into organizational age discrimination has placed a focus on the consequences of ageism and economic pressures of an ageing workforce, rather than endeavouring to understand the social processes that create and reproduce ageist ideologies within an organizational context. This article departs from mainstream approaches within age and employment studies in order to explore older worker identity as a discursive phenomenon. Analysis shows how the social construction of the `older worker' may in itself serve to marginalize and contribute towards age inequalities through three discursive strategies: contextualizing the problem, essentializing older worker characteristics and ventriloquizing the older worker. The conclusions seek to situate these findings within larger political and practitioner debates concerning the older worker agenda and how distancing the older worker from chronological or biological determinism may serve to further our understanding of organizational age inequality as a s...

‘Cultural diversity’ at work: ‘National culture’ as a discourse organizing an international project group

Abstract: Research to date concurs in maintaining that performance of nationally homogeneous workgroups differs if compared to heterogeneous ones. Yet, results are mixed on the relationship between cultural diversity and workgroup outcomes. The article argues that cultural differences are given explanatory authority, cultural diversity acquiring a positivist status, and group members being treated as 'dopes of their culture'. An alternative approach is to conceive 'cultural diversity' and 'national culture' as discursive resources used by group members in everyday group life. The author followed an international project group for over 17 months,observing how group members discussed and made sense of what went on. Findings suggest that the way members in international project groups use the 'national/cultural' discourse plays a crucial role in the organization of the project. More specifically, results demonstrate that group members shaped and developed their international project in important ways by using the discourses on 'national culture' and 'cultural diversity' to excuse confusion and misunderstanding, to position themselves vis-a-vis the group, to justify decisions and to give the group a raison d'etre. Implications are drawn concerning the need for researchers to acknowledge actors' space for choice in group-life.