What Next for Chaos Theory? From Metaphor to Phase Space

In the management and social sciences literature, chaos theory has been used primarily as a metaphor to understand organizational phenomena. Using metaphors to understand organizations is a novel idea that has gained much acceptance, thanks to the pioneering work of Morgan (1986). However, chaos theory\u27s value as a metaphor has been overused and offers little that cannot already be explained using existing theories and frameworks. Because chaos theory is a mathematical theory, we believe its mathematical principles offer the greatest application to the management literature. In this paper, we offer the use of phase space, a tool of chaos theory, as a way to analyze firm performance

In Pursuit of Crisis Readiness: An Examination of Managerial Characteristics, Firm Size, Industry Domain and Strategic Type within the Miles and Snow Framework

A crisis refers to an unpredictable event that can seriously threaten an organization. Crisis readiness is an integral part of the crisis management process and refers to the level of preparedness an organization possesses in response to a potential catastrophic event. Findings from a survey of 275 managers in the United States revealed that top managers with production/engineering and general management backgrounds reported higher degrees of crisis readiness capabilities than did their counterparts with other backgrounds. Likewise, higher levels of crisis readiness were reported in larger, manufacturing organizations than in smaller, service organizations

Propensity for Participative Decision-Making, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Intentions to Leave Among Egyptian Managers

Relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, propensity for participative decision-making PPDM, and intentions to leave have been assessed in a number of studies of Western managers. However, there is a dearth of such research in non-Western organizations. This study examines these relationships among Egyptian managers and suggests prospective directions for additional research in the field. © 2003, MCB UP Limite

Visualizing Crisis Management: Crisis Experience, Concern, and Training in China

China’s increasing international prominence has prompted additional research on how Chinese firms manage organizational crises. The purpose of this paper is to identify patterns of concerns and experiences with crises in China. We report on a survey of 105 managers and non-managers in China about their experience and concern with crises in their firms. Our analysis underscores three key findings. First, one's concern about a crisis is strongly associated with one's experience involving that crisis. Second, views about crisis experience and concern differ between employees in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-SOEs. Finally, despite these differences, perspectives on crisis training among SOE and non-SOE firms are similar. This paper augments the literature by identifying relationships among crisis experience, crisis concern, and training in Chinese organizations

Visualizing Crisis Management: Crisis Experience, Concern, and Training in China

China’s increasing international prominence has prompted additional research on how Chinese firms manage organizational crises. The purpose of this paper is to identify patterns of concerns and experiences with crises in China. We report on a survey of 105 managers and non-managers in China about their experience and concern with crises in their firms. Our analysis underscores three key findings. First, one's concern about a crisis is strongly associated with one's experience involving that crisis. Second, views about crisis experience and concern differ between employees in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-SOEs. Finally, despite these differences, perspectives on crisis training among SOE and non-SOE firms are similar. This paper augments the literature by identifying relationships among crisis experience, crisis concern, and training in Chinese organizations

Organizational life cycle and performance among SMEs: Generic strategies for high and low performers

Purpose – This exploratory study seeks to bridge a gap in the literature by exploring the life cycle-strategy relationship to discover the preferred strategy for high and low performing firms in four of the five stages of the organizational life cycle. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 600 managers randomly chosen from chamber of commerce membership lists in the southern USA were mailed an extensive scale that included items to measure life cycle stage, generic strategy, industry attractiveness and stability, size, and satisfaction with performance. The instrument included 20 life-cycle items, four items for each of the five stages. Findings – Partial support was found for the expected relationship between strategy and performance as firms move through the organizational life cycle. New, high-performing organizations that were satisfied with their performance preferred first mover strategies, while renewing organizations categorized as high performers also emphasized the first mover strategic approach. Mature high performers preferred a uniqueness strategy over one based on efficiency. Research limitations/implications – The fifth proposition, concerning declining firms, could not be adequately tested. Other limitations of this study include the limited sample size, the limited size variance of participating firms, and the cross-industry nature of the sample. Combining the research stream of organizational life cycle with generic strategies and satisfaction with performance complicated the project. Practical implications – Life cycle and performance research provides managers with a snapshot of high and low performing firms and an understanding of how their situation, decision-making style, strategy and structure fit. High performers focus on proactive, first mover strategies. Originality/value – The organizational life cycle is operationalized, demonstrating characteristics for high and low performing firms in each stage except decline. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limite