Professional-Bureaucratic Conflict and Intraorganizational Powerlessness among Social Workers

Since Max Weber\u27s classic writings on bureaucracy, the relationship between professionalization and bureaucracy has been a central focus of organization theory and research (e.g., Parsons, 1947; Goulduer, 1954; Blauner, 1964; Blau, 1968, Meyer, 1968b; Blau and Schoenherr, 1971). Some research suggests that professionalization and bureaucratization are alternative or conflicting modes of organization (Udy, 1959 ; Stinchecombe, 1959; Litwak, 1961; Burns and Stalker, 1961; Thompson, 1961; Hall, 1963; Rage, 1965). While other research suggests that professionalization and bureaucratization are actually congruent because structural accommdation minimizes dissension between professionals and bureaucrats (e.g., Blau, 1968; Meyer, 1968b; Kirsch and Lengermann, 1972). However, the resolution of professional bureaucratic discord does not always occur and may vary depending on the status or legitimation of the profession. In the case of an emerging profession or semi-profession, like social work (Scott, 1969; Toren, 1969), this conflict may remain unresolved and produce alienation and work dissatisfaction. This research investigates the impact of bureaucratic constraint and professionalism on one aspect of alienation among social workers: powerlessness, or disaffection regarding one\u27s participation in organizational decision-making. This research treats powerlessness as an organizationally - specific phenomenon. With some exceptions (e.g., Blauner, 1964; Clark, 1959; Lefton, et.al., 1959; Segal, 1969), powerlessness has been dealt with in a societal context (Lystad, 1972). In most research, powerlessness (or any form of alienation) has been viewed as a generalized manifestation of person-toworld or person-to-society relations. Intraorganizational powerlessness has been of interest primarily because of its alleged ramifications beyond the organizational context in which it is generated. Seeman (1967) found little support for this generalization hypothesis , and suggests that this is due to persons\u27 propensity to segmentalize different spheres of life. In this vein, the present research treats powerlessness as an organizationallyspecific phenomenon, not as a diffuse aspect of a person\u27s relation to his social world

A strategy for analysis of idea innovation networks and institutions

Die Studie geht von der Annahme aus, dass kommerziell erfolgreiche radikale Produkt- und/oder Prozessinnovationen in den wissenschaftsbasierten industriellen Sektoren am besten durch die Fokussierung auf die Netzwerke der Ideeninnovation erforscht werden können. Netzwerke der Ideeninnovation bestehen aus sechs Arenen, die in folgenden Forschungsformen reflektiert werden: Grundlagenforschung, angewandte Forschung, Produktentwicklungsforschung, Produktionsforschung, Qualitätskontrollenforschung und Marktforschung. Bei der Analyse der Interdependenzen zwischen diesen Forschungsformen stützen die Autoren sich auf die Literatur zu organisatorischen Innovationen und zum Lernen von Organisationen. Für ihren Ansatz insgesamt ist folgende These grundlegend: Je enger die Kopplungen zwischen diesen Forschungsformen und je größer die Gemeinsamkeiten der Forschung hinsichtlich dieser Formen in den verschiedenen Industriesektoren sind, desto innovativer und wettbewerbsfähiger ist das industrielle System eines Landes.The perspective of this paper is that variation in commercially successful radical product/ process innovations among science-based industrial sectors can be explored by focusing on idea innovation networks. Idea innovation networks have six arenas reflecting research - basic research, applied research, product development research, production research, quality control research, and commercialization/ marketing research. The paper develops two interrelated hypotheses. The first is that the greater the diversity of competencies or knowledges that are connected with frequent and intense communication within an arena and the greater the size of the arena, the greater the likelihood that radical innovations will emerge. The second hypothesis involves the same kind of logic: if radical solutions are to occur in more than one arena, there must be intense and frequent communication among the different arenas involving radically new ways of thinking. Radical research solutions in one arena usually involve tacit knowledge and to be effectively communicated to another arena, both tacit knowledge and codified knowledge must be communicated across arenas. But the communication of tacit knowledge is more likely to occur when there is frequent and intense communication across arenas. In analyzing connectedness, the authors draw on the literatures about organizational innovation and organizational learning. As well, they recognize that institutional environments shape the size of research arenas and the connectedness within and among them. The suggestion is that the more similarity there is across sectors in the patterns of research arena size and connectedness, the greater the support for a national system of innovation interpretation. Contrariwise, less similarity of network arena characteristics across sectors may mean more support for the strong role of globalization forces in affecting innovation

Procedures for periodizing history: determining eras in the histories of Britain, France, Germany and Italy

Die Autoren entwickeln anhand konkreter Untersuchungen Vorschläge zum Problem der Periodisierung historischer Zeitabschnitte. Die theoretischen und methodischen Implikationen dieses Problems werden im Rahmen der Untersuchung des Wachstums der staatlichen Ausgaben für Erziehung, Gesundheit, Wohlfahrt und soziale Sicherung in den Ländern Großbritannien, Frankreich, Deutschland und Italien von 1870 bis 1965 dargestellt. Dieser Gegenstandsbereich wurde ausgewählt, weil sich an den Wandlungen in diesem Sektor auch die gesellschaftlichen Wandlungen ablesen lassen. Die Darstellung der Untersuchung umfaßt neben konkreten Ergebnissen die Analyse der methodischen und theoretischen Probleme, insbesondere die Behandlung der Daten und die alternativen Möglichkeiten der Periodisierung anhand einer Variable und mittels multipler Zeitläufe. Die Untersuchung ergibt, daß die traditionelle Chronologie nur in Einzelfällen zur Periodisierung ausreicht. (BG

Investment in Human Capital of a Powerful Interest Group: The Case of the Medical Profession in Britain, France, Sweden and the United States from 1890 to 1970

Das Papier untersucht die Genese und Institutionalisierung der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft als Organisation für die Vertragsforschung im außeruniversitären Forschungssystem der Bundesrepublik. In der Folge interorganisatorischer Domänenkonf likte wurde die Gesellschaft in der Mitte der fünfziger Jahre zunächst aus der Forschungsfinanzierung des Bundes ausgeschlossen. Im Interesse ihrer Überlebenssicherung nutzte sie die Gelegenheit, mit Unterstützung vor allem durch das Land Baden-Württemberg in der industriellen Vertragsforschung tätig zu werden, drohte mit diesem Konzept aber an Schwellenproblemen zu scheitern. Militärische Forschungsmittel ermöglichten es der Gesellschaft, diese Schwellenprobleme zu überwinden und ein moderates, aber stabiles Wachstum der zivilen Vertragsforschung herbeizuführen. An diese Entwicklung knüpfte die Reform der Gesellschaft durch die Bundesregierung und ihr Ausbau zur Trägerorganisation in der angewandten Forschung am Anfang der siebziger Jahre lediglich an. Das "Modell Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft" beruht auf institutionellen Strukturen, die sich in einem Prozeß von situativ ineinandergreifenden Verkettungen und einer daraus resultierenden pfad-abhängigen Wachstumsdynamik der Vertragsforschung herausgebildet haben.This paper examines the genesis and institutionalization of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) as an organization for contract-research in the West-German research system outside the universities. As a result of interorganizational conf licts of domain in the midf ifties, the FhG was for the time being excluded from state-funding. The society survived by taking the chance of conducting contract-research subsidized mainly by Baden-Württemberg. The concept of contractresearch, however, was on the brink of failure due to threshold-problems. Military research funds made it possible for the FhG to cross these threshold-problems and to induce a moderate but stable growth of civilian contract-research. The reformation of the society by the federal government and its extension to the mainly responsible institution in the field of applied research during the early seventies only picked up this development. The "Modell Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft" is based on institutional structures which emerged in a process of situative "lock-ins" leading to a pathdependend increase of contract-research

New directions in the use of network analysis in research and product development evaluation

In recent years, the use of social network analysis (SNA) has received increased attention in R&D evaluation. While SNA provides insights into communication and knowledge flows, its efficacy in evaluation methodology remains unclear. A