2,485 research outputs found
Labour process theory and critical management studies
Labour Process Theory (LPT) is conventionally and rightly listed as one of the analytical resources for Critical Management Studies (CMS). Yet, the relationships between the two have been, in the words of a classic of the former, a contested terrain. This is hardly surprising. Even if we set aside the inevitable multiplicity of perspectives, there is a tension in potential objects of analysis. Before CMS burst on to the scene, LPT was being criticised at its peak of influence in the 1980s for paying too much attention to management and too little to capital(ism) and labour. This was sometimes attributed to the location of many of the protagonists (in the UK at least) in business schools, but was, more likely a reflection of wider theoretical and ideological divides
Vulnerability in illness: household healthcare-seeking processes during maternal and child illness in rural Lao PDR
Background:
Despite considerable progress, m
aternal and child mortality
persists and
continues to affect
many low-income
countries, to the extent that the
Millennium
Development Goals (MDG)
4 and 5
will not be reached. This calls for a
broader range
of information that
will enhance the
understanding of
the different
dimensions of
healthcare-seeking.
This must
be
grounded in
peopleâs social reality, not least among
remote,
rural
populations.
Aim:
The overall aim is to
contribute new
knowledge on household
healthcare-seeking
processes, and coping strategies during maternal and child
illness, in the context of Lao
PDR.
Methods:
The data originates from two main studies. The first one took place in
Xekong and Savannakhet provinces (Articles I-III) and explored how healthcare-seeking takes place and the rationales behind those processes during child illness,
pregnancy and childbir
th. In each of six rural communities, focus group discussions
(FGDs) and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers and
fathers to children under five; pregnant women and grandmothers; and a variety of
healthcare providers. The second
study took place in the provinces of Phongsaly,
Vientiane and Attapeu and aimed to describe householdsâ experiences of shocks when
facing drought, pest infestation, divorce and disease (article IV). In 11 communities,
FGDs and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviews with
households that had experienced serious maternal and child illness were analyzed for
sources of vulnerability, coping strategies and shock consequences. Transcripts of the
data collected were analyzed and guided by in
terpretive description.
Results:
Several households had experienced serious health shocks. High costs
(medical and non-medical), limited possibilities to rapidly mobilize cash and long
distances to health facilities were barriers for seeking healthcare (IV
). Only in
communities with poor access to healthcare facilities had the death of children
-
after
only consulting traditional healers
â
occurred (I). In healthcare-seeking processes,
delays were observed at household level due to either difficulty in asse
ssing
the severity
of illness symptoms or to disagreements between spouses and between parents and
grandparents (I). During important situations such as the first trimester of pregnancy
and childbirth, grandmothers were considered important sources of advi
ce for young
women. Their status was in part based on the impressive changes they had themselves
experienced in childbirth practices (III). The risks of dying outside the community had
influenced women to seek local healthcare providers
(I
), as had their l
ack of knowledge
about the expectations and social norms of health facilities (II).
Conclusions:
Sources of vulnerability are many, including the inability to mobilize
cash to pay for healthcare despite severe illness; and the spending of savings and sell
ing
assets, which nevertheless would not always result in the recovery of the family
member. Understanding if, how and when healthcare-seeking is initiated, stopped or
continued is important in reaching out to groups in areas that are poorly served or not
yet using healthcare services. This is one of many challenges in achieving MDG 4 and
5
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Extending critical performativity
In this article we extend the debate about critical performativity. We begin by outlining the basic tenets of critical performativity and how this has been applied in the study of management and organization. We then address recent critiques of critical performance. We note these arguments suffer from an undue focus on intra-academic debates; engage in author-itarian theoretical policing; feign relevance through symbolic radicalism; and repackage common sense. We take these critiques as an opportunity to offer an extended model of critical performativity that involves focusing on issues of public importance; engaging with non-academic groups using dialectical reasoning; scaling up insights through movement building; and propagating deliberation
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The Stupidity Paradox The Power and Pitfalls of Functional Stupidity at Work
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Critical Management Studies: A Critical Review
In this paper, we review the development of critical management studies, point at problems and explore possible developments. We begin by tracing out two previous waves of critical management studies. We then focus on more recent work in critical management studies and identify ten overâarching themes (Academia, alternatives organizations, control and resistance, discourse, Foucauldian studies, gender, identity, Marxism, postâcolonialism, and psychoanalysis). We argue that CMS has largely relied on oneâdimensional critique which focused on negation. This has made the field increasingly stale, focused on the usual suspects and predictable. We identify a number of problems calling for critique and rethinking. We label these authorâitarianism, obscurantism, formulaic radicalism, usualâsuspectism and empirical lightâtouchism
A critical reflection of current trends in discourse analytical research on leadership across disciplines. A call for a more engaging dialogue
This paper takes the frequently lamented state of current leadership research in business and organisational sciences as a starting point and argues for a more open and engaging dialogue with leadership researchers in applied linguistics and pragmatics. Focusing on current debates around terminological issues and methodological questions that are particularly prominent in critical leadership studies, we show that research in applied linguistics and pragmatics has the potential to make important contributions by providing the analytical tools and processes to support critical leadership researchers in their quest to challenge hegemonic notions of leadership by moving beyond simplistic and often problematic leader-follower dichotomies and by providing empirical evidence to capture leadership in situ thereby feeding into current theorisations of leadership
'A light in a very dark place' : The role of a voluntary organisation providing support for those affected by encephalitis
Voluntary organisations are seen as contributing to the âdemocratisationâ of health and social care. Little, however, is written about their role and this paper, by focusing on the work of The Encephalitis Society, provides insights into the challenges facing voluntary organisations as they manage twin roles as service providers and advocates, of people with neurological disorders. Two studies are presented: a review conducted by the Society, focusing on patientâs experiences of neurological services; and an external evaluation of the Societyâs current provision. The first, based on a postal survey of its members affected by encephalitis (n = 339), illustrates the Societyâs advocacy role. The survey provided support for the Association of British Neurologistsâ recommendation for nationally agreed standards of care. The second study, a postal survey of recent contacts (n = 76) and in-depth telephone interviews (n = 22), illustrates the Societyâs value role as a service provider and supports its role in helping rehabilitate affected individuals and their families. These studies provided the Society with information for policy and service development. Importantly, providing the basis of informed action and partnership with stakeholders and informing the organisationâs sense of purpose, in the changing context of welfare provision in the UK
Thinking strategically about assessment
Drawing upon the literature on strategy formulation in organisations, this paper argues for a focus on strategy as process. It relates this to the need to think strategically about assessment, a need engendered by resource pressures, developments in learning and the demands of external stakeholders. It is argued that in practice assessment strategies are often formed at the level of practice, but that this produces contradiction and confusion at higher levels. Such tensions cannot be managed away, but they can be reflected on and mitigated. The paper suggests a framework for the construction of assessment strategies at different levels of an institution. However, the main conclusion is that the process of constructing such strategies should be an opportunity for learning and reflection, rather than one of compliance
Masculinity at work: The experiences of men in female dominated occupations
This paper presents the findings of a research project on the implications of men's non-traditional career choices for their experiences within the organization and for gender identity. The research is based on 40 in-depth interviews with male workers from four occupational groups: librarian-ship, cabin crew, nurses and primary school teachers. Results suggest a typology of male workers in female dominated occupations: seekers (who actively seek the career), finders (who find the occupation in the process of making general career decisions) and settlers (who settle into the career after periods of time in mainly male dominated occupations). Men benefit from their minority status through assumptions of enhanced leadership (the assumed authority effect), by being given differential treatment (the special consideration effect) and being associated with a more careerist attitude to work (the career effect). At the same time, they feel comfortable working with women (the zone of comfort effect). Despite this comfort, men adopt a variety of strategies to re-establish a masculinity that has been undermined by the 'feminine' nature of their work. These include re-labeling, status enhancement and distancing from the feminine. The dynamics of maintaining and reproducing masculinities within the non-traditional work setting are discussed in the light of recent theorising around gender, masculinity and work
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