Group Methods

This chapter provides a typology for thinking critically about group methods and their use(s) within business and management research. Disciplinary based literature has concerned itself primarily with the practice of the method, affording little attention to the diverse knowledge-constituting assumptions that can underpin its use. I argue that group methods can serve the interests of researchers from a variety of philosophical traditions, but understanding the practical implications of this variability is crucial to appropriate and effective use of group work from any given philosophical stance. It is hoped that this chapter can go some way towards developing the practice of group methods within the business and management domain through enhancing researchers’ awareness of the relationship of philosophical issues to the design and application of the method itself. The chapter thus aims to provide students and researchers with new ways of conceiving group methods by locating discussions of group design, conduct and analysis in prevailing philosophical traditions within business and management research

Towards a typology of critical nonprofit studies: A literature review

This review examines scholarship in key nonprofit journals over four decades. Its purpose is to: 1) analyze the extent, nature, and contribution of critical nonprofit scholarship and its trajectory over time, and 2) call on scholars, research institutions, and journals in the field to engage the kinds of insights these increasingly marginalized approaches bring, providing space for them to join, challenge and shape the research conversation. Findings show only 4% of articles published within the period examined adopt critical approaches, with great variability in the ways articles exemplify core tenets of critical scholarship, and a general dampening of critical work over time. This conservatism may result from the rejection of less understood philosophies and methodologies of critical inquiry in favor of more mainstream (positivistic) models of social science. Our primary contribution is to advance a typology explicating the pluralism inherent in critical approaches to nonprofit studies, their strengths and limitations

State-voluntary relations in contemporary welfare systems: New politics or voluntary action as usual?

In this paper, we analyze two landmark reviews of British voluntary action to cast a critical gaze on the recurrent claim that voluntarism is facing a new era of ever more turbulent welfare systems and dramatic changes in state-voluntary relations. Rather than representing a new era, we find the current climate may be more accurately considered a collage of past relations. By this we mean a composition of reality that assembles different aspects of past realities to create a seemingly new era. This suggests that conventional discursive institutional accounts of policy change, which downplay the interrelated dynamics of stability and change, are inadequate for explaining the evolution of state-voluntary relations specifically and policy reform more broadly. Debates about public policy and the role to be played by voluntary action among scholarly and practitioner communities would be better served by greater understanding of the historical experience which has formed today’s institutions

Sustainability in voluntary organisations : Exploring the dynamics of organisational strategy.

This thesis aims to develop further understanding of organisational sustainability in the voluntary sector, as a complex and dynamic phenomena inextricably linked to capacity for survival. In taking a holistic approach to exploring the dynamics of sustainability, the study considers the influencing factors, both internal and external, that can drive strategic change within voluntary organisations through an extensive multi-method research programme incorporating exploratory focus groups, descriptive survey fieldwork and multiple-case studies. Specifically, the research outlines the major internal and external systems that are important for voluntary organisations to consider when developing strategies for sustainability and, perhaps more importantly, explores the interconnections between them. The thesis departs from much of the dedicated voluntary sector literature, which often adopts a rationalist prescriptive approach to organisation and management. In aiming to advance something of a more critical approach, which considers what may be termed the 'emotional' side of strategy, the study makes a key contribution to the voluntary sector strategy literature. Ultimately, the author argues that to study, govern and manage voluntary organisations involves thinking about philosophy, politics and ethics. In the context of developing strategies for sustainability, this equates to considering who says what the job is, how it should be done, and how people are affected by doing it one way rather than another. In this regard, it would appear that acceptance and legitimisation of certain (pluralist or unitary) approaches to strategy and change is associated with the coherence between that approach and the social values expressed in the organisation's service work. It is argued that there is potential for voluntary organisations to utilise the strategy process to surface, articulate and test assumptions across organisational functions and hierarchy. This is especially relevant because of the turbulent environment that many organisations in the voluntary sector face and the diversity of the many stakeholders who have an interest in the organisation's long-term ability to achieve its mission. In these circumstances, it is unlikely that those individuals at the apex of the organisation (be they trustees and/or senior management) will be able to 'figure it out from the top' and have everyone else 'following the orders'. The practical implication of the thesis is that if strategy is, at least partly, about collective purpose and shared visions of the future, trustees and managers of voluntary organisations must recognise this explicitly in the way they create strategy. Indeed, the study demonstrates how some voluntary organisations have deeply involved individuals throughout the organisation in the strategy process as a means of creating, raising and sustaining commitment to a cocreated future vision of the organisation

Sustainability in voluntary organisations : Exploring the dynamics of organisational strategy.

This thesis aims to develop further understanding of organisational sustainability in the voluntary sector, as a complex and dynamic phenomena inextricably linked to capacity for survival. In taking a holistic approach to exploring the dynamics of sustainability, the study considers the influencing factors, both internal and external, that can drive strategic change within voluntary organisations through an extensive multi-method research programme incorporating exploratory focus groups, descriptive survey fieldwork and multiple-case studies. Specifically, the research outlines the major internal and external systems that are important for voluntary organisations to consider when developing strategies for sustainability and, perhaps more importantly, explores the interconnections between them. The thesis departs from much of the dedicated voluntary sector literature, which often adopts a rationalist prescriptive approach to organisation and management. In aiming to advance something of a more critical approach, which considers what may be termed the 'emotional' side of strategy, the study makes a key contribution to the voluntary sector strategy literature. Ultimately, the author argues that to study, govern and manage voluntary organisations involves thinking about philosophy, politics and ethics. In the context of developing strategies for sustainability, this equates to considering who says what the job is, how it should be done, and how people are affected by doing it one way rather than another. In this regard, it would appear that acceptance and legitimisation of certain (pluralist or unitary) approaches to strategy and change is associated with the coherence between that approach and the social values expressed in the organisation's service work. It is argued that there is potential for voluntary organisations to utilise the strategy process to surface, articulate and test assumptions across organisational functions and hierarchy. This is especially relevant because of the turbulent environment that many organisations in the voluntary sector face and the diversity of the many stakeholders who have an interest in the organisation's long-term ability to achieve its mission. In these circumstances, it is unlikely that those individuals at the apex of the organisation (be they trustees and/or senior management) will be able to 'figure it out from the top' and have everyone else 'following the orders'. The practical implication of the thesis is that if strategy is, at least partly, about collective purpose and shared visions of the future, trustees and managers of voluntary organisations must recognise this explicitly in the way they create strategy. Indeed, the study demonstrates how some voluntary organisations have deeply involved individuals throughout the organisation in the strategy process as a means of creating, raising and sustaining commitment to a cocreated future vision of the organisation

Illustrating the Value of Critical Methodologies through Third Sector Gender Studies: A Case for Pluralism

To encourage methodological pluralism in the field, this paper examines an illustrative sample of articles that apply critical approaches to third sector studies focused on gender. Specifically, the paper analyses three articles that were previously identified as among the most critical work on gender in the field between 1970 and 2009 to illustrate how critical research is produced and the value it brings to third sector studies. We find this work: uncovers hidden assumptions and/or uncomfortable erasures that mask gender-based inequities and injustices; resists hegemonic scientific norms in doing and writing research; and rejects ‘woman’ as a uniform object of theorizing. We discuss against what methodological standards such work should be evaluated and suggest a wider understanding of these ‘alternative’ standards, which might derive significant benefits for the field through increased critical scholarship and the unique features it brings

Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial identity: Beyond stereotypes

The entrepreneur is often conceptualised as an individualistic hero (Essers & Benschop, 2007; Gill, 2017). Although this portrayal has been criticised as highly romanticised (Acs & Audretsch, 2003) it is still influential in the contemporary entrepreneurship literature (Down, 2010). Consequently, prevailing social discourses around entrepreneurship may restrict and even prevent an individual to develop their own entrepreneurial identity (Down & Giazitzoglu, 2014; Gill, 2017). In order to explore this issue, this chapter presents insights into the entrepreneurial experience of student entrepreneurs by exploring the role of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial identities in new venture creation. In-depth interviews were carried out with 11 student entrepreneurs who had, individually or in partnership with others, started a venture whilst they were enrolled in higher education courses. These findings challenge the taken-for-granted assumptions entrenched in the characterisation of the homogenous entrepreneur (Jones, 2014) and suggest that individuals can arrive at entrepreneurship in different ways. In order to demonstrate the diversity of entrepreneurial identities, the chapter highlights those that fit the orthodox depiction of entrepreneurs through vignettes from Nicole and Georgie. This is then contrasted with alternative depictions through vignettes from Joanna, Christa, Darcie and Paige. The experience of the latter demonstrates how entrepreneurial identities are formed through role enactment and socialisation into entrepreneurial communities. The findings propose universities can support student entrepreneurship through both formal and informal activities. The broader conceptions of entrepreneurial identities with respect to the role of universities and enterprise education are considered