Showing papers in "Journal of Management Studies in 1988"

Enacted sensemaking in crisis situations[1]

Abstract: SensertiEiking in crisis conditions is made more difficult because action that is instrumental to understanding the crisis often intensifies the crisis. This dilemma is interpreted from the perspective that people enact the environments which constrain them. It is argued that commitment, capacity, and expectations affect sensemaking during crisis and the severity of the crisis itself. It is proposed that the core concepts of enactment may comprise an ideology that reduces the hkelihood of crisis.

The influence of organization structure on the utility of an entrepreneurial top management style

Abstract: This study examined the influence of organization structure on the relationship between top management's entrepreneurial orientation and financial performance. Moderated regression analysis was used to analyse data collected from 80 business organizations. the findings suggest that an entrepreneurial top management style has a positive effect on the performance of organically-structured firms and a negative effect on the performance of mechanistically-structured firms.

Disaster crisis management: a summary of research findings

Abstract: The crisis management of disasters does not follow automatically from disaster planning. Research has shown that successful disaster management results primarily from the activities of emergency organizations. In particular, there are management problems with respect to the communication process, the exercise of authority, and the development of co-ordination. There are at least five different areas of difficulties in the communication process, namely, intra- and inter-organizational behaviours between organizations, from organizations to the public, from the public to organizations, and within systems of organizations. Exercise of authority difficulties stem from losses of higher echelon personnel because of over-work, conflict regarding authority over new disaster tasks, and clashes over organizational jurisdictional differences. Co-ordination difficulties come from lack of consensus among organizations, working on common but new disaster-related tasks, and difficulties in achieving overall co-ordination in any community disaster that is of any magnitude. Prior planning can limit these management difficulties but cannot completely eliminate all of them.

The cognitive perspective on strategic decision making

Abstract: Strategic management researchers are showing increased interest in the cognitions of strategic decision-makers. In this article, the importance of strategic cognitions is discussed and research on a number of major topics within the cognitive perspective is summarized. the paper concludes with an integrative model of cognitions in strategic decision making. This model provides the basis for questions for future research.

Challenger: fine-tuning the odds until something breaks

Abstract: The Challenger disaster illustrates the effects of repeated successes, gradual acclimatization, and the differing responsibilities of engineers and managers. Past successes and acclimatization alter decision-makers’ beliefs about probabilities of future success. Fine-tuning processes result from engineers’ and managers’ pursuing partially inconsistent goals while trying to learn from their experiences. Fine-tuning reduces probabilities of success, and it continues until a serious failure occurs.

Understanding industrial crises[1]

Abstract: This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding industrial crises. These crises are organizationally-based disasters which cause extensive damage and social disruption, involve multiple stakeholders, and unfold through complex technological, organizational and social processes. The characteristics of industrial crises are illustrated through a comparison of three diverse crises - the Bhopal disaster, the Tylenol poisonings, and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Relationships among these characteristics are presented in a model of industrial crisis. Some issues for further research are identified.

Environmental structure and theories of strategic choice

Abstract: This article argues that the prevailing dichotomization of organizational studies into voluntarist and deterministic orientations is too simple, and that this simplicity has dangerous consequences for accounts of strategic choice. Determinism has been equated exclusively with the operation of environmental constraint, with the implication that the agency necessary for strategic choice can be secured simply by the removal of this constraint. This focus on external constraint has obscured the continuing influence of ‘action determinist’ positions, in which action is determined by mechanisms internal to the actor him/herself. This article argues that many recent theorists of strategic choice have relied too much on the interpretive voluntarist dissolution of environmental structure and neglected to safeguard themselves from the action determinism latent in the Carnegie tradition. the article proposes an alternative Realist account that, by contrast with interpretive voluntarism, incorporates environmental structure as an essential precondition to actors’ internal and external capacities for strategic choice.

Conflict approaches of effective and ineffective project managers: a field study in a matrix organization[1]

Abstract: The conflict approaches used by project managers in a matrix organization were described by 135 project team engineers. In project teams where the managers used a combination of co-operative and confirming approaches to conflict, conflicts were judged to have a constructive impact and management was judged to be effective. Conflicts were seen as counterproductive and management was seen as ineffective when the project manager relied upon a combination of competitive and avoiding approaches to conflict. These results provided field data support for a theory of conflict management which has been tested and refined through extensive laboratory research.

The learning styles questionnaire: an alternative to kolb's inventory?

Abstract: An important consideration in the design of educational programmes is the learning style of students. In the field of management education, Kolb's theory of learning styles has received particular attention. Research has shown, however, that his associated measure, the Learning Style Inventory (LSI), may be of doubtful utility. the present study of British and overseas managers examines the measurement properties of one alternative, Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ). the results, calling into question Kolb's theory itself, suggest that the LSQ may be preferred to the LSI on account of the distribution of its scores, its temporal stability and its construct and face validity. Its predictive validity, however, remains in doubt.

Strategic Problem Formulation: Biases and Assumptions Embedded in Alternative Decision-Making Models

Abstract: This article reviews the major theoretical approaches to strategic decision-making and identifies how each treats the process of problem formulation. Five models of strategic decision-making are analysed to determine the assumptions and biases made about strategic problem formulation. Successful strategic problem formulation is described and proposed as a beginning point for future research. Some constructs for further theory development are addressed.

Organizational adaptation: some implications of organizational ecology for strategic choice[1]

Abstract: This article identifies a correspondence between the organizational ecology and strategic choice perspectives on organizational strategy in their classifications of strategic types. Using this correspondence as the point of departure, implications of organizational ecology for strategic choice are examined with respect to how environmental pressures constrain strategic choice, why some strategic orientations are more successful than others in different environmental conditions, and how and why the mix of strategic types in an industry changes over time.

Sporadic, fluid and constricted processes: three types of strategic decision making in organizations[1]

Abstract: Using 136 cases of strategic decision-making described by a number of variables drawn from the literature, three distinct types of decision-making processes are found. These are termed sporadic, fluid and constricted processes. They are parsimonious characterizations of decision-making processes which, given the variety of the 30 organizations from which the cases are drawn, should be generalizable to a wide range of contexts.

Career orientations in different countries and companies: an empirical investigation of west german, british and us industrial r&d professionals[1]

Abstract: This study examined dimensions and levels of career orientations and their correlation with work-related outcome criteria among industrial R&D professionals. Questionnaire data were obtained in 11 West German, 4 British, and 2 US R&D units of large industrial companies. Respondents were 729 West German, 217 British, and 124 US scientists and engineers. Managerial career orientation and professional/scientific career orientation emerged from factor and scale analyses as two independent orientation dimensions with similar meaning across the three countries and the 17 R&D organizations. Results indicated significant cross-country differences in levels of professional/scientific career orientation, but not in levels of managerial career orientation. Significant differences in levels of both orientation dimensions were detected between R&D units within countries. Distinctive characteristics of West German firms employing R&D staff with particularly strong professional/scientific or managerial career orientations are suggested. Managerial and professional/scientific career orientations were found to be differentially related to objective indicators and self-ratings of research performance. Directions for future research and managerial implications for selecting and rewarding R&D employees with different patterns of career orientations are discussed.

Post-bhopal behaviour at a chemical company

Abstract: The Bhopal disaster where Methyl Isocyanate gas escaped from a Union Carbide plant led to more than 2000 deaths and caused illness in countless others. Chemical industry officials are particularly disturbed that an accident such as Bhopal could occur in what is reported to be the safest manufacturing industry in the United States. The tragedy stimulated moves in the United States that will change the handling and production of toxic chemicals as well as the dissemination of information on potential hazards and safety precautions for toxic and hazardous substances to the public. This article examines some of these changes by looking at the behaviour of a large chemical company not directly involved in Bhopal (which we have given the pseudonym Chemco) following the Bhopal disaster. Our interest is in determining what type of actions Chemco has taken in response to this type of low-probability-high-consequence event. In particular, we are interested in analysing the firm's behaviour using a conceptual framework grounded in organizational theory and behavioural decision theory. Data on Chemco's response to Bhopal were collected through more than 20 hour-long interviews with different executives in the company. This article should thus be viewed as a field study that illustrates a set of conceptual ideas. It is in the spirit of studies advocated by Campbell (1975). One must be cautious in over-generalizing from single-case naturalistic observations but these empirical studies may be necessary ingredients for developing more general theories of behaviour. Our intention is to stimulate further research in the area of decision-making for lowprobability events where firms feel compelled to respond to specific crises that may affect not only their future but that of the industry. Our motivation for conducting interviews at Chemco was to determine whether managers in an organization exhibited a set of heuristics and biases which have been found empirically in studies of individuals. Charles Schwenk (1984) has argued that the same cognitive simplification strategies that have been found by cognitive psychologists and behaviourad decision theorists may affect strategic decisionmaking in an organization. We were very sympathetic to this view before beginning the interviewing process but were careful not to inject this bias when interfacing with the Chemco executives. For this reason the ideas and the theory found in the received literature will be presented after the story line rather than preceding it.

Corporate Control Type, Strategy, Size and Financial Performance[1]

Abstract: A cluster analysis of questionnaire data is used to classify a sample of 156 large United Kingdom firms according to their internal control type. Interactions between the control types identified, strategy and size, are hypothesized to have an impact upon financial performance. Testing these hypotheses raises a number of issues concerning the appropriateness of recommended strategy-structure fits.

Managerial thinking: an african perspective

Abstract: Cross-cultural studies of managerial attitudes, beliefs and values have produced evidence to support both the view that industrialization is a force for convergence, and for the notion that national cultural realities continue to support divergence. Data from an investigation of Malawian managers are considered in relation to those from comparable previous studies in other countries, and more specifically in terms of the African context. Some tentative hypotheses are advanced, to account for distinctive aspects of managerial thinking in Malawi.

Effects of countertrade‐divergent perceptions between practitioners and non‐participants[1]

Abstract: This article provides a theoretical discussion of countertrade benefits and problems. It then comments on data collected in a 1985 study of large British firms which demonstrate that actual countertrades have perceptions of the effects of this practice which differ markedly from the perceptions of companies that do not countertrade. Throughout, the findings on benefits and problems are compared as between international and domestic cotmtertraders and non-countertraders. It is concluded that many more UK firms could benefit from participation in countertrade.

The state-soe[1] relationship: some patterns

Abstract: This article focuses on the pattern of relationship that develops over time between a state-owned firm and its owner. the main hypothesis is that there is not a single, permanent pattern of relationship. Instead, it is proposed that there are three possible modes of interaction, which can be combined into a cycle. the state-SOE relationships are thus shown to evolve from mutual dependance and co-operation to autonomy via an adversarial stage. The article first provides detailed examples of the various types of relations that have been revealed by research, then combines them into the idea of cycle, before investigating the forces that lie under the cycle. It finally offers several implications for both practice and research.

Participation under conditions of conflict: more on the validity of the vroom-yetton model[1]

Abstract: Previous research validating the Vroom-Yetton leadership model has provided support for all the prescriptions of the model except the Conflict Rule. This rule prescribes group decision-making methods when conflict among subordinates is anticipated and acceptance of the decision is critical, on the grounds that a group process provides a more effective vehicle for conflict resolution than other less participative methods. the present experiment tests the Conflict Rule against an alternative hypothesis that predicts conflict intensification and polarization in group settings. Forty groups of five members each considered a decision task chosen for its likelihood of generating task-based conflict. the 2x2 design (decision-making process by leader reward structure) created conditions in which a particular decision-making process either conformed to or violated the normative prescriptions of Vroom and Yetton's model. Both attitudinal and behavioural measures of decision acceptance revealed that the interactive group process was significantly more effective than one-to-one consultation in generating support for a leader's solution. A secondary analysis treating the quality of the leader's decision as a covariate revealed no significant variation in the pattern of subordinate acceptance explained by this factor. Overall, the results support Vroom and Yetton's Conflict Rule and suggest that subordinates are far more likely to accept a leader's decision following an interactive group process regardless of either the leader's desire to reach consensus or the technical quality of the decision.

Managerial perceptions of marketing planning[1]

Abstract: The literature on marketing planning is largely prescriptive in nature, with little reporting of empirical research. Additionally, the latter has been mostly concerned with classifying the official planning procedures that organizations have adopted. This article reports research which has investigated the perceptions of individual managers towards marketing planning. the overall result is that many differences of perception were identified, including major differences between managers in the same organizations. This insight also allowed for the development of a number of theoretical propositions.

The myth of the corporate political jungle: politicization as a political strategy

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

Management strategy and new technology in retail distribution: a comparative case study

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