Towards a social practice theory of paradox

This paper explores the shared ontological basis of the paradox and practices perspectives. Advancing the emerging ‘practice turn’ in paradox, we outline the practice-theoretical approach to studying paradox, articulating four main principles that define its research agenda. We describe each theoretical principle, explain its implications for the way we understand and study paradox, and illustrate it with an example of existing work. Next, we use these principles to reflect on the potential of a practice-based view of paradox, highlighting avenues for future research. Herein we review, integrate and develop a foundation for practice-based studies of paradox

Zooming in and out : studying practices by switching theoretical lenses and trailing connections

This paper contributes to re-specifying a number of the phenomena of interest to organisational studies in terms of patterns of socio-material practices and their effects. It does so by outlining a vocabulary and strategy that make up a framework for theorising work and organisational practices. The vocabulary is based on number of sensitising concepts that connote practice as an open-ended, heterogeneous accomplishment which takes place within a specific horizon of sense and a set of concerns which the practice itself brings to bear. The strategy is based on the metaphorical movement of "zooming in" and "zooming out of" practice. The zooming in and out are obtained through switching theoretical lenses and repositioning in the field, so that certain aspects of the practice are fore-grounded while others are bracketed. Building on the results of an extended study of telemedicine, the paper discusses in detail the different elements of the framework and how it enhances our capacity to re-present practice. The paper concludes with some considerations on how the proposed approach can assist us in advancing the research agenda of organizational and work studies

Toward an IT Agenda

The state of the information technology discipline is explored. A point of departure is a depiction of the IT field in a computing space along with computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, and information systems. This examination motivated a proposed distinctive anchoring theme for the IT discipline as deployment and configuration. Recommendations are made for advancing the research component of an IT agenda by seizing on jurisdictional vacancies, abstracting from professional practice, and drawing upon theoretical results from the systems sciences, serving as a reference discipline for IT. Five IT research thrust areas are proposed: IT artifacts, enterprise architectural infrastructure, interaction models, system performance, and domain induction. Appendices provide context by discussing viewpoints on the IS-IT relationship, perspectives on the role of artifacts in IS-IT research, and observations on the perceived standing of IT as a discipline or sub-discipline

Advancing agendas: a grounded theory of engagement with interagency meetings

In the UK, the development of integrated children's services over the past six years has led to an increased need for public sector managers to attend strategic, interagency meetings. However, there is little research in this field that can be used to support managers in ensuring positive outcomes from such meetings. The aim of this research was to identify the main concerns of managers attending strategic, interagency meetings and to develop a theoretical framework that can account for the ways in which they resolve these concerns. The research used classic grounded theory, an inductive methodology that results in a set of integrated, conceptual hypotheses that are grounded in the data. Data were obtained primarily from interviews and observation of meetings. The main concern of managers attending interagency meetings was identified as being to achieve the maximum personal value from engagement with the meetings. This main concern is resolved via the core category of 'advancing agendas', which accounts for most of the variation in the behaviour of the participants. The grounded theory of Advancing Agendas explains the social strategic process by which meeting participants: identify a personal agenda, that is, an understanding of what they want to get out of their engagement with the meetings; plan a strategy with which to advance this agenda; engage in the meetings and evaluate the outcomes of their actions. Advancing Agendas provides a framework that can be used by those who are chairing or attending interagency meetings, to support them in achieving the desired outcomes. Specifically, it can be used to understand the impact of meeting participants' differing motivations for attending meetings, to recognise situations in which group members' personal agendas conflict with the intended function of the meetings, and to identify ways of enabling full participation and engagement

Voice and Agency: Empowering women and girls for shared prosperity

This document presents Voice and Agency: Empowering women and girls for shared prosperity is a major new report by the World Bank that shines a spotlight on the value of voice and agency, the patterns of constraints that limit their realization, and the associated costs, not only to individual women but to their families, communities, and societies. It highlights promising policies and interventions, and it identifies priority areas where further research and more and better data and evidence are needed. Underlining that agency has both intrinsic and instrumental, concrete value, this report puts advancing women's voice and agency squarely on the international development agenda

Big thinking on place: getting place-based approaches moving

Executive summary Increasingly, governments in Australia have recognised place-based approaches as a means to tackle disadvantage and address the complex problems faced by children and families in today’s society. While many place-based initiatives have generated rich learning experiences and positive results, too often lessons have not been broadly shared and mistakes have been repeated. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a better coordinated practice, policy and research agenda could substantially increase the impact of place-based approaches across Australia. With this in mind, leaders in place-based practice, research, policy and philanthropy were engaged in in-depth consultations to explore and identify issues and opportunities for advancing Australian place-based reform. What follows is a summary of the contemporary needs of policy makers, funding bodies, academics and practitioners in designing, delivering and researching approaches to support children and families in ‘place’. Issues and opportunities for practice, research and policy a more rigorous and coordinated research agenda exchanging knowledge on what does and does not ‘work’ advocacy and leadership on place-based initiatives. A common theme expressed through the consultations to address the above issues was collaboration. A network or mechanism to bring together people was advocated, for two main reasons. These were to: advance strategic leadership and coordination on place-based issues, with specific attention given to the co-production of policy and a coordinated research agenda exchange and/or build knowledge, particularly in relation to identified practice skill gaps. Conclusions The consultation findings reveal a need for stronger leadership and advocacy on child-focused, place-based initiatives in order to effectively respond to specific and universal issues in policy, practice and research and to advance place-based thinking and action. A national place-based network, involving policy, practice, research and philanthropy, would be an appropriate mechanism to support leadership and advance activity. A convenor is required to facilitate such a network. Network activity should be guided by an action plan, developed in collaboration with network members, to address priorities identified in this report. Participants identified many issues across practice, research and policy that were perceived to lessen the effectiveness of child-focused, place-based initiatives in Australia. These included the need for: new skill sets to deliver place-based initiatives advancing expertise in collaborative practice and co-production with families evaluation for learning and impact This publication has been developed by the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The Royal Children’s Hospital as part of the Collaborate for children: scoping project funded by the Australian Government Department of Education. It summarises the evidence on what we know and are still yet to learn about place-based approaches to improve children’s outcomes. Over 12 months, the project investigated the Australian place-based landscape to understand how we can better promote children’s wellbeing through place-based initiatives. This publication is one of four key reports produced through the project. The reports are: The evidence: what we know about place-based approaches to support children’s wellbeing A snapshot of place-based activity promoting children’s wellbeing – who is driving, doing and supporting place-based initiatives Big thinking on place: getting place-based approaches moving The state of play in Australian place-based activity for children – a summary of project findings with recommendations for accelerating place-based efforts

Reconciling and reconceptualising servitization research: drawing on modularity, platforms, ecosystems, risk and governance to develop mid-range theory

PURPOSE: This research bridges disparate research on servitization, namely product–service systems (PSS) and integrated solutions (IS), to provide valuable insights for the progression of the field. It acts as a reconciliation of these research streams and offers a reconceptualised agenda incorporating recent research on platforms, ecosystems, modularity, risk and governance as key conceptual themes to synthesise and build theory. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This is a conceptual, theory development article focused on advancing thinking on servitization by identifying systematic and theoretically informed research themes. It also proposes future research opportunities to advance theoretical contributions and practical implications for servitization research. FINDINGS: By reviewing and synthesising extant PSS and IS research, this article identified five core themes – namely modularity, platforms, ecosystems, risks and governance. The importance of these five themes and their linkages to PSS and IS are examined and a theoretical framework with a future research agenda to advance servitization is proposed. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper considers the similarities and differences between PSS and IS in order to develop a theory and to reconcile formerly disparate research efforts by establishing linkages between core themes and identifying valuable synergies for scholars. The importance of the core themes and current gaps within and across these themes are shown, and a mid-range theory for servitization is positioned to bridge the servitization-related PSS and IS communities

Sustainability Measurement Scales: criteria, specificities, and basic protocol

Sustainability is an important construct for social and economic development. It requires an objective definition of measurement methods, and it helps decision makers to clarify and discern their choices. This article aims to map and to analyse the specifics of measurement scales with a scope aimed at sustainability, with a goal of advancing the study of sustainability measures. The final sample consists of 31 articles collected in order to: i) identify analytical elements regarding the specificities of the scales; ii) check its scope; iii) evaluate the reliability and validity measures used; iv) map the main limitations; and v) propose a sustainability research agenda. The study contributes by categorising and analysing the measurement process. It makes it possible to understand the stages necessary for the elaboration and validation of measurement instruments specific to this field of research

Seeking Impact and Visibility: Scholarly Communication in Southern Africa

The Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) was a three-year research and implementation initiative that took place between March 2010 and August 2013. Hosted by the University of Cape Town, the programme engaged the Universities of Botswana, Namibia and Mauritius in a process aimed at better understanding the dynamics around scholarly communication in the Southern African higher education environment and advancing the open access agenda for the purpose of increasing the visibility of African research. This work was made possible by a grant from the Canadian International Development Research Center (IDRC). This report synthesizes research and findings from the four institutional case studies conducted at the Universities of Botswana, Cape Town, Mauritius and Namibia. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity systems at work in these four Southern African universities

The ‘Internationalisation Agenda’ and the Rise of the Chinese University: Towards the Inevitable Erosion of Academic Freedom?

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.This essay is a critical reflection on the challenge to academic freedom presented by the globalisation of practices of knowledge production. It explores a tension within the logic of the internationalisation agenda: UK universities are premised upon forms of knowledge production whose roots lie in European Enlightenment values of rationalism, empiricism and universalism, yet partnerships are growing with universities premised on rather different, non-liberal and, perhaps, incommensurable values. Therefore, in advancing the internationalisation agenda in non-liberal environments, UK-based scholars find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place: either legitimising and sustaining the subjection of knowledge production to the state on one hand, or engaging in a form of epistemological colonialism by demanding adherence to ‘our values’ on the other. Using Chinese research culture as an illustration, the article contributes to ongoing debate on the ethics of social science research collaboration with universities based in contrasting epistemological cultures