To reciprocate or not to reciprocate: Exploring temporal qualities in reciprocal exchanges in networks

In this article, we sought to draw theoretical explanations of reciprocal exchanges in networks and how reciprocity is seen as the building block of network sustainability through employing a temporal perspective. The article’s main contribution was to provide fresh insights into how temporality, drawn upon Bergson’s philosophy, advanced the way we look at reciprocity and consequently provided three perspectives of time, namely; emergent networks, discursive practices, and possible times. The practical implications of such perspectives inform organisation on how to select networks and predict their benefits. The research method included 28 interviews and casual observation of network sessions

What do networks do to work: the agential role of network

The article draws on an ongoing study of interorganisational learning in project based organisations and how organisations learn through network settings. The article aimed at drawing theoretical explanations of network learning especially after learning moved from interorganisational learning to inter-networked learning. The article employs the structure agency relationship by Dave Elder-Vass as theoretical lens to draw conclusions that provides fresh explanations of how network are helpful in fostering learning activities. The research method included interviews, observation and archives. Data were analysed using thematic analysis which generated codes and then conclusion were drawn. The main contributions of this article are (1) to portray agency as another face of structure, (2) stress the agential role of networks, and (3) looking at networks as agents provides fresh understanding of benefits of networks

Inter-organisational learning in project based organisations: Perspectives on reciprocity

This developmental paper discusses early research findings on the role that reciprocity plays in fostering or hindering inter-organisational learning in networks. Reciprocity as a social norm in knowledge creation and sharing networks is the main theme of this research. The paper uses two case studies of networks in UK. The qualitative case studies were developed through a mixture of participant observations, semi-structured interviews and casual conversations with network administrators and participants. Reciprocal exchanges were evident in networks. However, variations in what reciprocal exchanges meant for the participants were observed. Consequently, our findings suggest that the taken-for-granted idea that reciprocity is always good should be critically challenged. Often, we have observed asymmetrical reciprocal exchanges in participants tend to expect more from the networks than they would give. Therefore, this research suggests the need for remaining circumspect about the positive outcomes of networks that are often implicitly assumed

Behavior of Workers Towards Safety in Construction Projects in the Gaza Strip

The construction industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It became a major industry in Palestine during the past few years. Although it contributes around 19% to GDP, it still lacks the consideration for safety of workers. Safety in construction industry is one of the major factors that affects the field and should be studied and investigated to be integrated as an inherent culture of each member of the project. Behavior of workers on job site is a reflection of the safety culture they gained. It is important to ensure that all workers on job site have safety culture. The purpose of this papa is to investigate workers behavior towards safety in construction projects in Gam Strip. A questionnaire has been distributed to 100 workers in 10 firms in Gaza city to investigate about their behavior towards safety issues. The results indicated that workers have negative attitude towards safety. This paper showed the lack of safety means in construction sites winch together with workers behavior; led to high rate of accidents and also showed the desire by workers to U5C safety equipment and tools WAS very low which contributed in the high rate of injury. In order to avoid time and cost overruns, contractors should utilize modified week programs for injured worker; where they can perform productive duties without exposing them or their co-workers to further injury. It is necessary to improve safety measures by all parties of construction projects

Quality and safety in the palestinian construction industry

Construction industry is one of the largest and most important industries in Palestine. Quality and safety in the industry still suffers from ignorance and lack of supervision and accident rate on construction projects is very high. The objective of this paper is to identify the quality and safety factors that relate to safety, and determine their relative importance as perceived by contractors to help reduction of accidents. A survey was conducted by using a 55 item questionnaire which was grouped into 15 major categories. Analysis of the responses found the most important factors that included: "safety organization formed with community culture considers safety is a vital need for people", "all managers are required to go through proper safety management training", "all engineers are needed to go through relevant safety management training", "lack of orientation training of new workers decreases quality and increases risks for them", and "safety organization formed in such a way that workers and top management exercise positive behavior towards safety". The results found that safety training group was categorized as the most important among the 15 categories

Understanding Competitiveness through life experiences – a strategy-as-practice approach

Practitioners learn and enact typical ways of thinking, understanding and viewing (interpreting) things in their surroundings (fields). The paper argues that by viewing competitiveness as something done by people and not a deliberate-emergent process has the potential to provide a fresh insight as to why competitive advantage is difficult to attain, maintain and plan. Therefore, it is advocated that the nature of competitiveness be explored through the practice theory lens. It is further suggested that due to the reflexive nature of practice theory, this approach allows investigation of the network of social practices, thus bridging the understanding of how social structures and human agency link together to clarify why people do what they do. In translating Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and reflexivity the research has captured the layered intersubjective and interdependent nature of (12 practitioner interviews) becoming competitive. By doing so, the intimate understanding of the way in which practitioners organise, produce and legitimise competitiveness is captured

Learning to give in a network context: applying theories of the gift to examine reciprocal exchanges in learning networks

In this paper, we draw on theories of the gift and gift exchange (Mauss, 1954, Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992) to examine how network participants learn to become generous with one another in three learning network contexts. In this paper, we offer fresh theoretical insights as to how the concept of the gift and gift exchange can enhance our understanding of the mechanics of learning networks. From a practical standpoint, this paper also promises valuable insights into how network participants can reflect on their participation to maximise the benefits reaped from learning networks

Professional Service Operations Management: sustaining the discipline?

Operations management (OM) theory suggests that professional services have some distinct operational challenges. There is an emerging consensus that professional services are changing, due to the socio-economic and political climates in which they operate. In order to investigate these issues a systematic literature review was undertaken. This paper makes a contribution by exploring the OM literature encompassing two decades of publications in terms of value, in relation to operational effectiveness within the ‘professions’. The analysis of the sample suggests a potential methodological mismatch between the core theoretical frameworks, exploring features of effectiveness and efficiency across the professions. This paper makes a contribution through a reflection on theories in the area of Professional Services Operations Management

Challenges to Interorganisational learning in learning networks: implications for practice

Research on organisational learning (OL) was mainly positioned within the psychological and sociological domains. Past and extant research on OL focused on the behavioural, cognitive and intuitive perspectives in addition to a growing track of research grounded on social theory. So far, a countless number of research studies attempted to address inter-organisational learning (IOL) from various perspectives. However, the lack of understanding of how IOL occurs in networks can be observed due to the social tensions that are created at the inter-organisational level such as free-riding and knowledge leakage. This thesis, therefore, aims to draw theoretical explanations of IOL and how it occurs in learning networks, taking into consideration similarities and contradictions amongst a network’s participating organisations. Towards this end, the thesis employs two theoretical lenses, namely structure-agency and social exchange theories to draw conclusions that provide fresh explanations of how networks are helpful in fostering or hindering learning activities in addition to how reciprocity as an efficacy device mediates IOL dynamics. Positioned within a qualitative vein, the thesis employs an interpretive perspective to collect and analyse empirical evidence. The qualitative data were developed through a mixture of participant observations, semi-structured interviews and casual conversations with network administrators and participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis which generated codes, following which conclusions were drawn. The main contributions of this article are (1) unfolding the network as agency which provides a fresh understanding of how the agential role of networks mediates IOL and (2) drawing a framework of dimensions of reciprocal exchanges that explains how IOL occurs in networks. 11 The first conclusion of this thesis explained how the agential role is socially constructed and how the interpretive device facilitated this construction. The second conclusion of this thesis explained how reciprocal exchanges mediate IOL and provide a framework that suggested IOL can be better understood through temporal, spatial, directional and symmetrical perspectives

Big Data HE communities: could Twitter support UK universities amid the COVID-19 transition?

This chapter intends to explore the use of the Twitter social media platform as a microblog to share COVID-19 prescribed knowledge through observing the Twitter accounts of the five most student-populated UK universities. The chapter provides valuable practical insight to UK universities practitioners, students, and concerned stakeholders on the use of Twitter microblogs to share or retrieve knowledge required to cope with the current COVID-19 transition. The chapter sheds light on the unique characteristics of knowledge shared by UK universities through Twitter in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter also highlights the unconventional use of Twitter by UK universities to share COVID-19 prescribed knowledge with their stakeholders