Darwinism, probability and complexity : market-based organizational transformation and change explained through the theories of evolution

The study of transformation and change is one of the most important areas of social science research. This paper synthesizes and critically reviews the emerging traditions in the study of change dynamics. Three mainstream theories of evolution are introduced to explain change: the Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest, the Probability model and the Complexity approach. The literature review provides a basis for development of research questions that search for a more comprehensive understanding of organizational change. The paper concludes by arguing for the development of a complementary research tradition, which combines an evolutionary and organizational analysis of transformation and change

Complexity and complicity in mobile telecommunications : the effect of network externalities and isomorphic strategy

The new information economy acts as a microcosm where the dynamics of complexity are present through the pervasive effects of increasing returns. Network externalities are the ubiquitous force behind winner-takes-all scenarios where only the strongest firms survive. The effect is evident in cases such as Microsoft's quasi-monopoly and eBay's dominance of the consumer and small business auctions market. Interestingly however, many important industries exhibiting strong network externalities, have emerged with no dominant winner and the competitive environment is preserved. This empirical study of the UK mobile telecom industry, which tracks an 18-year history of the mobile network operators as well as the strategies and product diffusion patterns of the networks, found firms counteracting winner-takes-all forces. Results indicate the presence of complex adaptive behavior between competing firms. Strategies are reconfigured to ensure the collective survival of all operators in the industry. The probability that one firm will dominate and that the rest will fail is eliminated. A complex set of isomorphic strategies emerges at the levels of network platforms, technical standards and consumer platforms. Through strategic herding, network externalities are exploited to act for the benefit of the whole industry causing competitors' market shares to converge dramatically to equal levels.peer-reviewe

'If You Desire to Enjoy Life, Avoid Unpunctual People': Women, Timetabling and Domestic Advice, 1850–1910

In the second half of the nineteenth century domestic advice manuals applied the language of modern, public time management to the private sphere. This article uses domestic advice and cookery books, including Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management, to argue that women in the home operated within multiple, overlapping temporalities that incorporated daily, annual, linear and cyclical scales. I examine how seasonal and annual timescales coexisted with the ticking clock of daily time as a framework within which women were instructed to organize their lives in order to conclude that the increasing concern of advice writers with matters of timekeeping and punctuality towards the end of the nineteenth century indicates not the triumph of 'clock time' but rather its failure to overturn other ways of thinking about and using time

Putting AIM in context : retrospective and prospective views on UK management research initiatives

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to critically review the relationship between management research and practice particularly in the UK. Design/methodology/approach - The paper takes the form of an historical survey of initiatives and different conceptual approaches. Findings - The paper reveals a central focus On the role of management consultants in mediating between management practice and management knowledge, Research limitations/implications - The paper is a partial and limited analysis of a complex process: more work is needed to untangle the various institutional roles and conceptual frameworks. Practical implications - Re-framing the relationship between management research and practice to consider a greater emphasis on practice engaged scholarship and the two way process of knowledge translation. Originality/value - The paper encourages a new perspective amongst policy makers, researchers and management consultants

Effective Management in Practice: Analytical Insights and Critical Questions

In this lively and entertaining book, Robin Wensley guides the reader through the basic analytical approaches to decision making required for more effective management practice. Packed with diagrams, anecdotes and examples which bring the book to life, Effective Management in Practice: - Clearly presents a wide range of management tools, techniques and theoretical insights in just the right amount of depth for current and future managers - illustrates the need for a balanced approach, emphasizing the importance of the questioning process in clarifying the nature of action proposals and any underlying assumptions - eschews any approach which advocates one right way but at the same time encourages a greater appreciation of practical issues through analysis and theory Students of management, academics and any practitioner interested in exploring a range of different approaches to management will enjoy and treasure this book

Market Ideology, Globalization and Neoliberalism

Market ideology, globalization and neoliberalism It is rather ironic that this chapter is being written in the middle of what might well become the Great Crash of 2008/9. The twin topics of the culture of consumption (and the way in which non-sustainable levels of debt have facilitated its continued growth) and the need for regulation within markets are very much top of the agenda at the time of writing. By way of some defence against the accusation of just applying 20:20 hindsight, I would like to point out that a significant proportion of this chapter was covered in an earlier Masterclass session given to the Marketing Society (Wensley, 1997)! In this chapter, we will cover the central issues from two different perspectives. First, in terms of market ideology, we will critically analyse the development and evolution of what might reasonably be termed the hegemony of neoliberal perspectives on the efficac

Getting too close to the fire : the challenge of engaging stories and saving lives

There is a long and troubled history in the relationship between management research and management practice. Much is often made of the negative impact in terms of management practice of the two so-called foundation reports both published in 1959 in the USA. A re-reading of these, however, suggests that the bigger issue is the conflation of analytical approaches with superior management performance. This remains a basis for researchers and practitioners to engage, but such engagement also requires a sense of critical distance and distinct identities between the two groups, which recognizes the differing nature of practice knowledge alongside research-based knowledge