Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2013
ABSTRACT Compassion is almost universally acknowledged as an important issue in the crisis manage... more ABSTRACT Compassion is almost universally acknowledged as an important issue in the crisis management literature. The dominant perspective, however, approaches compassion instrumentally. The findings of this study on the compassionate support offered (or not) to employees during and after the Brisbane flood crisis of January 2011 provide insight into crisis management as a continuous process rather than a reactionary response when disaster arises. Three significant policy implications are generated: First, compassionate discourses and categorization schemas should be clearly articulated within the organization before crisis. Second, compassionate policies and practices need to be embedded in ongoing organizational routines and policies. Third, initiatives framed as compassion responses should not be assumed to necessarily create positive outcomes; rather, outcomes should be assessed on an ongoing basis.
According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology - ecological modernizatio... more According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology - ecological modernization theory - the shift towards seeking to protect the environment constitutes a broadly emergent sociological phenomenon: the radicalization of modernity. The understanding of the fundamentals of such phenomenon is, therefore, crucial for both the practice and theorization of organization and environment. This is the main reason why this
The paper analyses the social and environmental issues involved in disputes relating to the susta... more The paper analyses the social and environmental issues involved in disputes relating to the sustainability of the palm oil industry. These disputes have been aired in and around the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. We start by developing a review of types of voluntary environmental initiative or green clubs, as they have also been called, in this context. The study is based on extensive fieldwork in the setting of the disputes (the island of Borneo) and analysis of the different levels in the global value chain of the palm oil industry, including local organizations, the industry structure overall, as well as the local governments of Malaysia and Indonesia. The use of the political ecology framework for the analysis of the palm oil industry contributes not only to the development of a more institutional-power perspective, but also provides solid grounds for the understanding of green clubs -an increasingly important type of organization.
According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology -ecological modernization... more According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology -ecological modernization theory -the shift towards seeking to protect the environment constitutes a broadly emergent sociological phenomenon: the radicalization of modernity. The understanding of the fundamentals of such phenomenon is, therefore, crucial for both the practice and theorization of organization and environment. This is the main reason why this paper seeks to incorporate ideas from the disciplines of both environmental sociology and organization theory. By delving into the main sources of dynamism that 'produced' modernity the paper argues that a sustainable organizational practice depends on the incorporation of a special type of radicalism into ecological modernization. The paper anchors its main arguments in research conducted in the European automobile industry -a socio-technical context undergoing ecological modernization. The main conclusions of the paper relate to the nature of the reforms required for organizational practices to facilitate sustainable industrial development. Sust. Dev. 13, 253-267 (2005) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).
ABSTRACT In this empirical paper, we present a model of the dynamic legitimizing processes involv... more ABSTRACT In this empirical paper, we present a model of the dynamic legitimizing processes involved in the receiving and giving of compassion. We focus on the idea of being ‘worthy of compassion’ and show how ideas on giving and receiving compassion are highly contestable. Recognition of a worthy recipient or giver of compassion constitutes a socially recognized claim to privilege, which has ethical managerial and organizational implications. We offer a model that assists managers in fostering ethical strength in their performance by encouraging reflection on the ethical complexity involved in compassion relations. The model emphasizes the dynamics of both the givers and receivers of compassion and so can also be used by organizations to both assess how others may view the legitimacy of their compassion relations and also to develop a positive organizational ethic of compassionate conduct.
Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in... more Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in this article we defend the potential for the application of post-structuralist perspectives to the institutional approach. We contend that this theoretical approach, which incorporates an element, traditionally overlooked in institutional analyses, namely power, has the advantage of contributing to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. We apply post-structural perspectives, particularly as presented by Michel Foucault, as well as the pragmatic perspectives represented by the works of William James and Richard Rorty, to explicating underpinnings of the institutional approach. We would stress that the affinity between the post-structural perspective and pragmatism has been acknowledged by other authors, such as Keller , and himself. Incorporating the element of power into the analysis contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. In conclusion, we believe that the area of organizational studies would benefit by a more all-encompassing vision of the processes of institutionalization, which would include power at its core, instead of considering institutions as non-changing variables. Clegg (1989) has provided a framework for such analysis and this paper serves to elaborate what some of its philosophical foundations might be in greater detail. We would stress that it is not possible to find answers if we just search for cause-effect relations, because the explanations found through causal mechanisms constitutes, in itself, a kind of discourse of power, as pointed out by moderns such as Hobbes . Undoubtedly, if we take empirical research into consideration, what we need is, from a historical perspective, understand the way by which the main discourses or narratives constitute, transform and are transformed by our objects of investigation, among which organizations certainly occupy a central place. However, it is necessary to tackle this undertaking with a certain degree of humility, abandoning the search for ultimate causes to more proximate and local narratives, small stories that communicate their own sense of the mechanisms of truth at work. And in these matters, we should be bullied into causality.
Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in... more Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in this article we defend the potential for the application of post-structuralist perspectives, particularly that presented by Michel Foucault, and the pragmatic perspective, represented here by the works of William James and Richard Rorty, to the institutional approach. We contend that this theoretical approach, which incorporates a dimension traditionally overlooked in institutional analyses, especially in the field of organizations, namely power, has the advantage of contributing to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to start from the standpoint of overcoming the objectivity-subjectivity dichotomy, so often found in institutional studies. Lastly, we re-assess institutionalization processes using the new reference standard, highlighting why certain practices become institutionalized. By contending that institutionalization processes take place within discursive fields, our proposition is that these are abetting the productivity of the power relationships, which are present in these fields. Practices that are institutionalized are practices that work, in other words, they are practices, which are both necessary and useful to the exercise of power.
Papers Aldrich, Howard E. see Cliff Angwin, Duncan and Eero Vaara, Introduction to the Special Is... more Papers Aldrich, Howard E. see Cliff Angwin, Duncan and Eero Vaara, Introduction to the Special Issue. 'Connectivity' in Merging Organizations: Beyond Traditional Cultural Perspectives, 26(10), 1445–1453 Balogun, Julia and Gerry Johnson, From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking, 26(11), 1573–1601 Beamish, Paul W. see Hébert Beck, Nikolaus and Peter Walgenbach, Technical Efficiency or Adaptation to Institutionalized Expectations? The Adoption of ISO 9000 Standards in the German Mechanical ...
This paper argues that the learning trajectory of corporations utilising information and communic... more This paper argues that the learning trajectory of corporations utilising information and communication technologies have been matched by the trade union movement. However, a broader set of on-line practices are illustrated. The paper argues that these can be harnessed to move beyond the reactive shadowing capital to innovative forms of monitoring and critiquing policies and outcomes of governance through which to argue for a different understanding of the nature and consequences of the current mode of globalisation
In this article, we draw on actor-network theory (ANT) to reflexively investigate the role of the... more In this article, we draw on actor-network theory (ANT) to reflexively investigate the role of the researcher and the research community in the production of a research subject. We review our earlier work, which explores how the dynamics of refugee systems help to produce the ...
... Carl Rhodes Swansea University ... events, such as being laughed at, being given tasks beneat... more ... Carl Rhodes Swansea University ... events, such as being laughed at, being given tasks beneath a person's level of competence, and being ostracized (all frequent features of systematic bullying), become accepted as a normal part of working life (Hauge, Skogstad, & Einarsen ...
Product innovation is a primary means to adapt to changing markets, technologies, and competition... more Product innovation is a primary means to adapt to changing markets, technologies, and competition. Innovative organizations are more profitable, grow faster, create more jobs, and are more productive than their non-innovative competitors, even in mature industries ...
The paper takes the assumptions of bounded rationality as the premise for organization theorizing... more The paper takes the assumptions of bounded rationality as the premise for organization theorizing. It draws a distinction between a science of objects and a science of subjects, arguing the latter as the more appropriate frame for organization analysis. Organization studies, it suggests, are an example of the type of knowledge that Flyvbjerg, following Aristotle, terms 'phronesis'. At the core of phronetic organization studies, the paper argues, there stands a concern with power, history and imagination. The core of the paper discusses power and the politics of organizing, to point up some central differences in approach to the key term in the trinity that the paper invokes. The paper concludes that organization theory and analysis is best cultivated not in an ideal world of paradigm consensus or domination but in a world of discursive plurality, where obstinate differences in domain assumptions are explicit and explicitly tolerated. A good conversation assumes engagement with alternate points of view, argued against vigorously, but ultimately, where these positions pass the criteria of reason rather than prejudice, tolerated as legitimate points of view. In so doing, it elaborates and defends criteria of reason.
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2013
ABSTRACT Compassion is almost universally acknowledged as an important issue in the crisis manage... more ABSTRACT Compassion is almost universally acknowledged as an important issue in the crisis management literature. The dominant perspective, however, approaches compassion instrumentally. The findings of this study on the compassionate support offered (or not) to employees during and after the Brisbane flood crisis of January 2011 provide insight into crisis management as a continuous process rather than a reactionary response when disaster arises. Three significant policy implications are generated: First, compassionate discourses and categorization schemas should be clearly articulated within the organization before crisis. Second, compassionate policies and practices need to be embedded in ongoing organizational routines and policies. Third, initiatives framed as compassion responses should not be assumed to necessarily create positive outcomes; rather, outcomes should be assessed on an ongoing basis.
According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology - ecological modernizatio... more According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology - ecological modernization theory - the shift towards seeking to protect the environment constitutes a broadly emergent sociological phenomenon: the radicalization of modernity. The understanding of the fundamentals of such phenomenon is, therefore, crucial for both the practice and theorization of organization and environment. This is the main reason why this
The paper analyses the social and environmental issues involved in disputes relating to the susta... more The paper analyses the social and environmental issues involved in disputes relating to the sustainability of the palm oil industry. These disputes have been aired in and around the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. We start by developing a review of types of voluntary environmental initiative or green clubs, as they have also been called, in this context. The study is based on extensive fieldwork in the setting of the disputes (the island of Borneo) and analysis of the different levels in the global value chain of the palm oil industry, including local organizations, the industry structure overall, as well as the local governments of Malaysia and Indonesia. The use of the political ecology framework for the analysis of the palm oil industry contributes not only to the development of a more institutional-power perspective, but also provides solid grounds for the understanding of green clubs -an increasingly important type of organization.
According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology -ecological modernization... more According to a specialized research area within environmental sociology -ecological modernization theory -the shift towards seeking to protect the environment constitutes a broadly emergent sociological phenomenon: the radicalization of modernity. The understanding of the fundamentals of such phenomenon is, therefore, crucial for both the practice and theorization of organization and environment. This is the main reason why this paper seeks to incorporate ideas from the disciplines of both environmental sociology and organization theory. By delving into the main sources of dynamism that 'produced' modernity the paper argues that a sustainable organizational practice depends on the incorporation of a special type of radicalism into ecological modernization. The paper anchors its main arguments in research conducted in the European automobile industry -a socio-technical context undergoing ecological modernization. The main conclusions of the paper relate to the nature of the reforms required for organizational practices to facilitate sustainable industrial development. Sust. Dev. 13, 253-267 (2005) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).
ABSTRACT In this empirical paper, we present a model of the dynamic legitimizing processes involv... more ABSTRACT In this empirical paper, we present a model of the dynamic legitimizing processes involved in the receiving and giving of compassion. We focus on the idea of being ‘worthy of compassion’ and show how ideas on giving and receiving compassion are highly contestable. Recognition of a worthy recipient or giver of compassion constitutes a socially recognized claim to privilege, which has ethical managerial and organizational implications. We offer a model that assists managers in fostering ethical strength in their performance by encouraging reflection on the ethical complexity involved in compassion relations. The model emphasizes the dynamics of both the givers and receivers of compassion and so can also be used by organizations to both assess how others may view the legitimacy of their compassion relations and also to develop a positive organizational ethic of compassionate conduct.
Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in... more Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in this article we defend the potential for the application of post-structuralist perspectives to the institutional approach. We contend that this theoretical approach, which incorporates an element, traditionally overlooked in institutional analyses, namely power, has the advantage of contributing to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. We apply post-structural perspectives, particularly as presented by Michel Foucault, as well as the pragmatic perspectives represented by the works of William James and Richard Rorty, to explicating underpinnings of the institutional approach. We would stress that the affinity between the post-structural perspective and pragmatism has been acknowledged by other authors, such as Keller , and himself. Incorporating the element of power into the analysis contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. In conclusion, we believe that the area of organizational studies would benefit by a more all-encompassing vision of the processes of institutionalization, which would include power at its core, instead of considering institutions as non-changing variables. Clegg (1989) has provided a framework for such analysis and this paper serves to elaborate what some of its philosophical foundations might be in greater detail. We would stress that it is not possible to find answers if we just search for cause-effect relations, because the explanations found through causal mechanisms constitutes, in itself, a kind of discourse of power, as pointed out by moderns such as Hobbes . Undoubtedly, if we take empirical research into consideration, what we need is, from a historical perspective, understand the way by which the main discourses or narratives constitute, transform and are transformed by our objects of investigation, among which organizations certainly occupy a central place. However, it is necessary to tackle this undertaking with a certain degree of humility, abandoning the search for ultimate causes to more proximate and local narratives, small stories that communicate their own sense of the mechanisms of truth at work. And in these matters, we should be bullied into causality.
Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in... more Starting with a critique of the epistemological and ontological bases of neo-institutionalism, in this article we defend the potential for the application of post-structuralist perspectives, particularly that presented by Michel Foucault, and the pragmatic perspective, represented here by the works of William James and Richard Rorty, to the institutional approach. We contend that this theoretical approach, which incorporates a dimension traditionally overlooked in institutional analyses, especially in the field of organizations, namely power, has the advantage of contributing to an enhanced comprehension of the dynamics of institutionalization. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to start from the standpoint of overcoming the objectivity-subjectivity dichotomy, so often found in institutional studies. Lastly, we re-assess institutionalization processes using the new reference standard, highlighting why certain practices become institutionalized. By contending that institutionalization processes take place within discursive fields, our proposition is that these are abetting the productivity of the power relationships, which are present in these fields. Practices that are institutionalized are practices that work, in other words, they are practices, which are both necessary and useful to the exercise of power.
Papers Aldrich, Howard E. see Cliff Angwin, Duncan and Eero Vaara, Introduction to the Special Is... more Papers Aldrich, Howard E. see Cliff Angwin, Duncan and Eero Vaara, Introduction to the Special Issue. 'Connectivity' in Merging Organizations: Beyond Traditional Cultural Perspectives, 26(10), 1445–1453 Balogun, Julia and Gerry Johnson, From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking, 26(11), 1573–1601 Beamish, Paul W. see Hébert Beck, Nikolaus and Peter Walgenbach, Technical Efficiency or Adaptation to Institutionalized Expectations? The Adoption of ISO 9000 Standards in the German Mechanical ...
This paper argues that the learning trajectory of corporations utilising information and communic... more This paper argues that the learning trajectory of corporations utilising information and communication technologies have been matched by the trade union movement. However, a broader set of on-line practices are illustrated. The paper argues that these can be harnessed to move beyond the reactive shadowing capital to innovative forms of monitoring and critiquing policies and outcomes of governance through which to argue for a different understanding of the nature and consequences of the current mode of globalisation
In this article, we draw on actor-network theory (ANT) to reflexively investigate the role of the... more In this article, we draw on actor-network theory (ANT) to reflexively investigate the role of the researcher and the research community in the production of a research subject. We review our earlier work, which explores how the dynamics of refugee systems help to produce the ...
... Carl Rhodes Swansea University ... events, such as being laughed at, being given tasks beneat... more ... Carl Rhodes Swansea University ... events, such as being laughed at, being given tasks beneath a person's level of competence, and being ostracized (all frequent features of systematic bullying), become accepted as a normal part of working life (Hauge, Skogstad, & Einarsen ...
Product innovation is a primary means to adapt to changing markets, technologies, and competition... more Product innovation is a primary means to adapt to changing markets, technologies, and competition. Innovative organizations are more profitable, grow faster, create more jobs, and are more productive than their non-innovative competitors, even in mature industries ...
The paper takes the assumptions of bounded rationality as the premise for organization theorizing... more The paper takes the assumptions of bounded rationality as the premise for organization theorizing. It draws a distinction between a science of objects and a science of subjects, arguing the latter as the more appropriate frame for organization analysis. Organization studies, it suggests, are an example of the type of knowledge that Flyvbjerg, following Aristotle, terms 'phronesis'. At the core of phronetic organization studies, the paper argues, there stands a concern with power, history and imagination. The core of the paper discusses power and the politics of organizing, to point up some central differences in approach to the key term in the trinity that the paper invokes. The paper concludes that organization theory and analysis is best cultivated not in an ideal world of paradigm consensus or domination but in a world of discursive plurality, where obstinate differences in domain assumptions are explicit and explicitly tolerated. A good conversation assumes engagement with alternate points of view, argued against vigorously, but ultimately, where these positions pass the criteria of reason rather than prejudice, tolerated as legitimate points of view. In so doing, it elaborates and defends criteria of reason.
Megaprojects are complex achievements of organization, sensemaking and management of power relati... more Megaprojects are complex achievements of organization, sensemaking and management of power relations. Typically, engineering practice stresses rationality and linearity, exemplified in the nineteenth century roots of modern management in writers such as Taylor or Fayol. A concern with contingency theory and the emergence of project management standards hardly changed these auspices. The emergent focus on soft systems theory and a more recent interest in the practice turn did begin to change megaproject management representations somewhat. In practice, megaprojects are occasions for much complex sensemaking, as Weick defines the concept. In turn, where there are different interests in different sensemaking, then power practices and relations need to be brought into focus. The chapter does this through discussing a number of studies in which these issues have been the focus.
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Papers by Stewart Clegg