42 research outputs found
Noise, identity and pre-interpreted worlds : a phenomenological perspective
Identities form and develop through the experience of encountering the world on a day-to-day basis. The world we encounter is pre-interpreted, it presents itself to us as a largely undifferentiated and tacit background against which we organize our experience and make sense of ourselves. Pre-interpretation means that it is often difficult to disentangle identities from the worlds we inhabit unless something goes wrong and we are compelled actively to reflect on the situation at hand. In this chapter, I propose a phenomenological perspective on identity based on the concept of ânoiseâ. Noise refers to any instance that violates the background expectancies of everyday life and calls for interpretation on the part of those who experience it. I argue that noise can pose identity threats when it challenges the âpre-interpreted - worldâ that we would normally take for granted and enact in everyday situations. At the same time, noise also provides researchers with an opportunity to account for the ways in which individuals experience and understand the worlds of which they are part
Crafting papers for publication : novelty and convention in academic writing
In this article, I discuss how different social actors and established conventions intervene in the construction of academic articles. I first provide a âbackstageâ overview of the review process at JMS, with a focus on how editors and reviewers influence the development of a manuscript. I then discuss the use of conventions as a powerful tool for communicating a message and conveying it to an audience. Next, I consider how authors use references to engage in conversations with other scholars and establish the baseline for a contribution. Finally, I reflect on the role of the reader as the ultimate recipient of a journal article. I conclude with some considerations on the craft of writing for publication
Organizational knowledge in the making : history, breakdowns and narratives
The
present study
looks
at the
dynamics
whereby organisational
knowledge
comes
into
existence and
is
eventually crystallised
into
stable structures of signification
through processes of utilisation and
institutionalisation. Recent
years
have
seen an
astounding explosion of writing about organisational
knowledge. In different
versions, organisational
theorists have been
paying
increasing
attention to the idea
of
the firm
as a
body
of
knowledge,
stressing
in
turn the ability of
firms to create,
manage and
transfer knowledge
as a critical success
factor. However, the current
debate
on the topic has highlighted the
difficulty
of
documenting
empirically the
process of creation, accumulation and maintenance of
knowledge in
organisations.
This,
of course,
begs
the question:
how is it
possible
to
relate an empirical study to
the theoretical
debate
on
knowledge in
organisations?
More
specifically,
how does
a
particular
knowledge
system emerge and
become stabilised?
How does it
evolve over
time? In this study, we argue that the
lack
of attention
to knowledge
as an empirical
phenomenon can
be
traced
back
to the assumptions underlying
the mainstream
knowledge-based theories of the firm,
which emphasise the instrumental, functional
character of
knowledge in
organisations.
In
contrast
to the functionalist
view of
knowledge,
we contend
that mainstream assumptions need to
be combined with those
perspectives
focusing
on
the
social construction of
knowledge
and
highlighting its
contentious, provisional nature.
Given the problems
identified
at
both
theoretical and
methodological
levels,
the present study proposes a
framework for
studying
knowledge
as an empirical phenomenon based on three methodological
lenses, which
are echoed
in
the title of this work:
history, breakdowns
and narratives.
The
three
lenses have
to
be
seen as
bringing into focus the tacit
features
of
knowledge
and
organisation.
The
empirical core of the
research is
evidenced
by three
in-depth
case
studies conducted at
Fiat Auto Italy. The findings
of
the
study provide
the backbone
for
constructing a theoretical
model of
knowledge in
organisations.
The
model
links
the content, process, and context of
knowledge-related
phenomena
in
a coherent
classificatory system.
More
generally, the empirical research highlights
the systemic,
institutionalised,
and multi-faceted nature of
knowledge in
organisations
Managing knowledge in organizations : a Nonakaâs SECI model operationalization
Purpose: The SECI model (Nonaka, 1994) is the best-known conceptual framework for understanding knowledge generation processes in organizations. To date, however, empirical support for this framework has been overlooked. The present study aims to provide an evidence-based groundwork for the SECI model by testing a multidimensional questionnaire Knowledge Management SECI Processes Questionnaire (KMSP-Q) designed to capture the knowledge conversion modes theorized by Nonaka.
Methodology: In a twofold study, the SECI model was operationalized via the KMSP-Q. Specifically, Study One tested its eight-dimensional structure through exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses on 372 employees from different sectors. Study Two examined the construct validity and reliability by replicating the KMSP-Q factor structure in knowledge-intensive contexts (on a sample of 466 health-workers), and by investigating the unique impact of each dimension on some organizational outcomes (i.e., performance, innovativeness, collective efficacy).
Findings: The overall findings highlighted that the KMSP-Q is a psychometrically robust questionnaire in terms of both dimensionality and construct validity, the different knowledge generation dimensions being specifically linked to different organizational outcomes.
Research/Practical Implications: The KMSP-Q actualizes and provides empirical consistency to the theory underlying the SECI model. Moreover, it allows for the monitoring of an organizationâs capability to manage new knowledge and detect the strengths/weaknesses of KM-related policies and programs.
Originality/Value: This paper proposes a comprehensive measure of knowledge generation in work contexts, highlighting processes that organizations are likely to promote in order to improve their performance through the management of their knowledge resources
Cities of noise: a brief inquiry into sensemaking, sensemakers and organized worlds
In his novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Czech author Milan Kundera suggests that a novel is âan investigation of human life in the trap the world has becomeâ. Novels are, indeed, arguably the most subtle tool of ontological inquiry, insightful meditations on how individuals, faced with questions and enigmas related to human existence, make sense of their âbeing in the world.â (Heidegger, 1962). I have always admired the mastery with which great novelists are able to dissect and convey the most intricate aspects of human situations through their characters and plots. Novelistsâ investigations are typically triggered by twists and turns that generate disturbance in the status quo and call for interpretations on the part of the characters involved. I refer to this disturbance as ânoiseâ. In this essay, I shall comment on a tale of three cities that share the attribute of noise and are depicted in literary works by Milan Kundera, Robert Musil and Italo Calvino. I shall use this tale to develop considerations that are relevant to the world of organizations, and I shall also highlight some ways in which organizational scholars can learn from novelists
Actors and actorhood in institutional theory
Concepts of actors and actorhood, and different interpretations of these concepts, underlie many debates in institutional research. The three PointâCounterpoint articles presented here seek to reflect on what actorhood means in institutional theory. They offer thoughtâprovoking perspectives on the relationship between human agency and the normative arrangements underpinning institutional behaviour
Imagination, selfâknowledge, and poise : Jim Marchâs lessons for leadership
James G. March was a founding father of modern organization theory, and arguably its most eclectic scholar. His elegant writings, which were underpinned by a behavioural view of organizations, spanned ambiguity and choice, rationality and decisionâmaking, organizational change, organizational learning, and institutional theory, among others. In this editorial, we remember Jim March by reflecting on his lessons for leadership. It is structured into three parts, each portraying a key aspect of contemporary leadership: imagination, selfâknowledge, and poise. March believed that these qualities were essential to leadership, and he embodied them to the fullest
Self-categorization as a nonmarket strategy for MNE subsidiaries:Tracking the international expansion of an online platform
This article examines how MNE subsidiaries develop nonmarket strategies to create a fit between a global market strategy and a local nonmarket framework. Derived from an analysis of archives and interviews on eBayâs expansion into France, our findings suggest that MNE subsidiaries engage in defensive and proactive self-categorization to create their nonmarket strategic fit. Specifically, through the purposeful use of labels, rhetoric and narratives, self-categorization enables subsidiaries to strategically position themselves vis-Ă -vis both regulators and local incumbents, thereby exercising agency to influence the nonmarket environment in their preferred direction. The findings contribute to the institution-based view of international strategy by shedding new light on the interaction between MNE subsidiaries and local institutional authorities in a context of international expansion. Furthermore, we theorize how subsidiaries use self-categorization to transfer global organizational practices to the host country
âUs versus themâ: Sensemaking and identity processes in skilled migrantsâ experiences of occupational downgrading
We examine how a group of highly-skilled migrants from Sri Lanka made sense of occupational downgrading associated with their career transition to the UK. Our findings highlight three distinct sensemaking narratives that enabled the migrant employees to develop a more positive identity in the face of occupational downgrading. While all the narratives followed a similar cognitive pattern, one that represented the occupational world in terms of a cultural opposition between âusâ and âthemâ, the choice of a particular sensemaking narrative was shaped by the organisational context in which the migrant employees were embedded. In particular, the migrant workersâ emotional experiences within their new organisation influenced the way in which they discursively framed the âus versus themâ relationship. We contribute to the international migration literature by theorising how sensemaking links identity to migrantsâ occupational experiences in new organisational contexts
Politics of meaning in categorizing innovation : how chefs advanced molecular gastronomy by resisting the label
This study examines innovatorsâ efforts to conceptualize and communicate their novel work through categorization. Specifically, we view category formation as a controversial process of meaning making, which we theorize through the concept of âpolitics of meaningâ and operationalize through a social semiotics approach. By analyzing the labelling controversies underlying a new culinary style publicized as âmolecular gastronomyâ, we find that innovatorsâ efforts at categorization unfold along four consecutive stages: experiment ng with a new style, communicating the new style, contesting the dominant label, and legitimating the category meaning. Our study suggests that a new categoryâs dominant label can substantially deviate from the innovatorsâ intended denotations, yet nonetheless bring that category forward by triggering public negotiations around its meaning , which lead to categorical deepening and legitimation. By putting forward a âpolitics of meaningâ view on categorizing innovation, this work advances our understanding of the connection between labeling and category formation in the context of innovation