Monstrous motherhood versus magical maternity?:an exploration of conflicting attitudes to maternity within health discourses and organizational settings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare public health discourses on the importance of motherhood with organizational attitudes towards childbearing. It shows how pregnancy and the nurturing of infant children are valorized within public health discourses, which treat pregnancy and new maternity as a miraculous “project”, encouraging mothers to position maternity as central to their lives. By contrast, the paper shows how employers treat pregnancy and new motherhood as inconvenient and messy: as monstrous, at work. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon a database of qualitative netnographic (or internet-based) research. It analyses netnographic interactions between pregnant and newly maternal women. These virtual data are afforded the same validity as face-to-face research. Findings – The paper demonstrates how maternal responsibilities for nurturing pregnancy and infant children, and the bio-medical properties of the maternal body, are central to public health discourses. By contrast, the maternal body is treated within organizations as alien, or monstrous. Originality/value – The paper compares and contrasts public health valorizations of motherhood, with organizational tendencies to treat pregnancy/newly maternal bodies as monstrous. It highlights dichotomies faced by employed mothers. A continuing chasm between the social organization of maternity, and the attitudes of employers towards children and maternal bodies, is identified

The sacrificial embrace:exploring contemporary English parish clergy lives

Describing clergy experiences ‘in their own words’, this paper reflects on the findings of a qualitative study (by the authors) on the lives of contemporary Church of England parish clergy.1 From the data, themes of obedience, sacrifice and intimacy emerge to provide an explanatory framework for clergy lives. In applying theological, social science and occupational management perspectives, the research counters the literature about clergy failures. While acknowledging a range of clergy views about the nature of faith and commitment, it nevertheless reveals an enduring and authentic vocational steadfastness among priests across the years

How are middle‐ and older‐age women employees perceived and treated at work? A review and analysis

AbstractBuilding on the rich array of literatures that explore women's ageing and employment, we conduct a comprehensive review of research on middle‐ and older‐age women and work (including menopause and post‐menopause). In reviewing these studies, we blend our interdisciplinary discussions across several domains. We reflect on the question: How are employed, middle‐ and older‐age women treated in organizations, and what are employers’ perceptions of these workers? Through our analysis, we identify and critique two predominant, conflicting yet inter‐related themes. These are, namely, notions of constraint (and women's supposed/perceived reduced competencies as they age) versus ideas of flexibility (foregrounding assumptions that employed women experience fewer limitations as they age). As a theoretical lens for theorizing the constraints theme, we draw upon the concept of abjection, highlighting how employer perceptions of women's health as supposedly diminishing can lead to discriminatory treatment at work. In analysing theoretical assumptions regarding apparently enhanced flexibility among middle‐ and older‐age women, we note how women's differing circumstances and requirements might go unrecognized. We argue the need to deepen theoretical understandings about ideas of flexibility during women's middle and older age. Reflecting on the limitations of both themes, we consider the implications for future research agendas.</jats:p

Cultural politics and the role of the action learning facilitator::Analysing the negotiation of critical action learning in the Pakistani MBA through a Bourdieusian lens

This empirical study contributes to critical action learning research by theorizing the role of an action learning facilitator from a cultural perspective. Our article adds to critical action learning by conceptualizing the dynamics of facilitation in managing interpersonal politics within action learning sets. Employing Bourdieu’s notion of habitus as a theoretical lens, we explore both participant and facilitator accounts of action learning at three Pakistani business schools, shedding light on the culturally influenced social practices that shape their learning interactions. Through a critical interpretation of our data, we illuminate the challenges of facilitation by revealing how deeply ingrained power relations, within the context of gender and asymmetric relationships, influence participants’ ability to organize reflection. We contribute to critical action learning by theorizing the critical role of facilitator mediation in managing interpersonal and intra-group relations within the Pakistani MBA context, outlining the implications for the dynamics and facilitation of action learning

A sense of entitlement?:fathers, mothers and organizational support for family and career

The influential work of Suzan Lewis has played an important part in shaping understandings of parenting, work-life integration and gendered values and practices in organizations. Below, we offer a brief outline of how Suzan’s work has influenced the work-life research field. We focus particularly on her observations about career advancement, gender and a sense of entitlement (or otherwise) among employed fathers and mothers. In particular, we build on Lewis’s (1997) notion of ‘entitlement’ among and between employed parents regarding access to family friendly and/or flexible working and personal career advancement. We extend Lewis’s ideas through developing a framework which reflects the relative sense of entitlement (or lack thereof) between fathers and mothers in relation, respectively, to ‘support for family needs’ and ‘equity in career development’ (1997:15). We then advance and update this framework through suggesting that a sense of entitlement among today’s fathers, regarding access to family friendly working, may be undergoing a social shift. Drawing upon Lewis’s important contribution to the work-life field, the paper thus explores how understandings of fatherhood are changing. We then consider what future research agendas might be

Here, There and Everywhere: On the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Management Research and the Peer‐Review Process

AbstractThis editorial introduces and explains the Journal of Management Studies’ (JMS) new policy on artificial intelligence (AI). We reflect on the use of AI in conducting research and generating journal submissions and what this means for the wider JMS community, including our authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. Specifically, we consider how AI‐generated research and text could both assist and augment the publication process, as well as harm it. Consequentially, our policy acknowledges the need for careful oversight regarding the use of AI to assist in the authoring of texts and in data analyses, while also noting the importance of requiring authors to be transparent about how, when and where they have utilized AI in their submissions or underlying research. Additionally, we examine how and in what ways AI's use may be antithetical to the spirit of a quality journal like JMS that values both human voice and research transparency. Our editorial explains why we require author teams to oversee all aspects of AI use within their projects, and to take personal responsibility for accuracy in all aspects of their research. We also explain our prohibition of AI's use in peer‐reviewers’ evaluations of submissions, and regarding editors’ handling of manuscripts.</jats:p

Rethinking work-life balance and well-being:the perspectives of fathers

When it comes to work-life balance and its impact on well-being, there have been increasing calls for research which looks at fathers. Until recently, the primary focus of most studies in this area was women and mothers, however changing attitudes towards fathers’ involvement in family life and the introduction of paternity leave have brought men into the picture. This chapter draws together existing research on fathers’ work-life balance and well-being in order to summarise what is currently known, and reveal where further investigation is needed. We begin by looking at men’s experiences of combining employment and family life, focusing in particular on fathers’ preferences and how these compare to their current levels of work-life balance. We observe that attitudes towards work-life balance are complex and there is evidence of ambivalence from fathers about choosing between work and family roles. We further note that a mismatch in desired and actual levels of work-life balance may be associated with emotional strain, stress and ill health. If this is the case, it is important to study fathers’ work-life balance issues in order to safeguard their well-being. Increased understanding of fathers’ needs is necessary to ensure they receive appropriate and adequate support. Furthermore, a better balance between employment and family for fathers is also likely to have a positive impact on the well-being of mothers and children, as well as improving gender equality in the labour market and at home. Finally, we look at research investigating possible reasons for fathers’ mismatches in desired and actual levels of work-life balance. Concepts of masculine identity and unsupportive organisational cultures are the constraints which are most apparent in the literature. Improving work-life balance can be threatening to traditional visions of fathers as providers. This is exacerbated by workplaces which fail to consider men as potential carers with family responsibilities and penalise those who strive for greater work-life balance

Enhanced invitation methods to increase uptake of NHS health checks: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: NHS Health Checks is a new program for primary prevention of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and vascular dementia in adults aged 40 to 74 years in England. Individuals without existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes are invited for a Health Check every 5 years. Uptake among those invited is lower than anticipated. Method: The project is a three-arm randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that enhanced invitation methods, using the Question-Behaviour Effect (QBE), will increase uptake of NHS Health Checks compared with a standard invitation. Participants comprise individuals eligible for an NHS Health Check registered in two London boroughs. Participants are randomized into one of three arms. Group A receives the standard NHS Health Check invitation letter, information sheet, and reminder letter at 12 weeks for nonattenders. Group B receives a QBE questionnaire 1 week before receiving the standard invitation, information sheet, and reminder letter where appropriate. Group C is the same as Group B, but participants are offered a £5 retail voucher if they return the questionnaire. Participants are randomized in equal proportions, stratified by general practice. The primary outcome is uptake of NHS Health Checks 6 months after invitation from electronic health records. We will estimate the incremental health service cost per additional completed Health Check for trial groups B and C versus trial arm A, as well as evaluating the impact of the QBE questionnaire, and questionnaire plus voucher, on the socioeconomic inequality in uptake of Health Checks. The trial includes a nested comparison of two methods for implementing allocation, one implemented manually at general practices and the other implemented automatically through the information systems used to generate invitations for the Health Check. Discussion: The research will provide evidence on whether asking individuals to complete a preliminary questionnaire, by using the QBE, is effective in increasing uptake of Health Checks and whether an incentive alters questionnaire return rates as well as uptake of Health Checks. The trial interventions can be readily translated into routine service delivery if they are shown to be cost-effective

Caught in a Landslide? Exploring how Far the Increasing Focus on Big Data Benefits or Damages Theoretical Development in Management Studies

AbstractThe author teams in this Point‐Counterpoint (PCP) put forward contrasting views regarding the benefits – or otherwise – of using commercially generated corporate ‘big data’ algorithms to inform scholarly research. In this editorial, I reflect on the lines of reasoning for, and against, whether such data offers a reliable means of building new theory. Are academics who refuse to mine and analyse corporately owned big data taking sensible steps to manage scholarly integrity? Or are they Luddites? I invite readers to consider these timely and provocative PCP articles and to consider the implications, for management studies, of the key arguments presented.</jats:p