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Työyhteisösovittelu on tuore ja vähän tutkittu sovittelun osa-alue, joka ottaa oppia rikos- ja koulusovittelun tuloksellisista kokemuksista. Kilpailu- ja suoriteyhteiskunnan kielteisten ilmiöiden vastapainoksi tarvitaan hyvinvointia edistäviä välineitä, toivon näkökulmaa ja uskoa ihmisyyteen. Tutkimuksessa kuvataan työyhteisösovittelun mallin muodostuminen kuntatyöyhteisössä ja työyhteisösovitteluun osallistuneiden kokemuksia työyhteisösovittelusta ristiriita- ja ongelmatilanteiden ratkaisumenetelmänä. Työyhteisösovittelua lähestytään postmodernin organisaatioajattelun ja tulkinnallisen paradigman näkökulmasta kvalitatiivisella tutkimusotteella. Tutkimuksen aineistona on kuusamolaisen työyhteisösovitteluhankkeen ohjausryhmässä sekä hankkeen tiedotus- ja koulutustilaisuuksissa käydyt keskustelut, jotka katsotaan narraatioiksi. Saatua aineistoa täydennetään haastattelemalla työyhteisösovitteluun osallistuneita narraatiossa syntyneiden teemojen pohjalta. Tutkimusaineisto analysoidaan käyttäen narratiivista ja sisällön analyysiä. Tutkimuksen päätuloksena esitetään työyhteisösovittelun malli kuntatyöyhteisössä liittäen sen organisaatioteoreettisen ajattelun kehittymiseen modernista postmodernin moniäänisyyteen. Parhaimmillaan työyhteisön destruktiivinen ristiriita muuttuu konstruktiiviseksi dialogiksi työyhteisösovittelun keinoin. Fasilitaattorina toimiva sovittelija voi arvostavana kuuntelijana tukea niiden äänien vahvistumista, joilla henkilöt eheyttäen koostavat yhteistä todellisuuttaan. Työyhteisösovittelun jatkuvuus turvataan työsuojelun ja työterveyshuollon organisaatioiden koordinointivastuun myötä. Saadun tiedon avulla lisätään työhyvinvointia ja sitä kautta työn tuottavuutta, tuloksellisuutta ja vaikuttavuutta. Lisää hallintotieteellistä tutkimusta tarvitaan työyhteisösovittelun mallin ja periaatteiden toimivuudesta ja yleistettävyydestä monenlaisissa organisaatioissa, kuten myös työyhteisösovittelun tuotteistamisen mahdollisuudesta Britannian ja USA:n tapaan. ; Workplace mediation is a fresh and less studied part of mediation. The excellent results of crime and school mediation is encouragment to move towards this type of mediation in regards to workplace conflicts. As a counterbalance for the disadvantages of the competative society we live in, a balance of wellbeing, hope and trust among peers is needed. The purpose of this study is to describe how the model of workplace mediation is formed in a municipality workplace and how the people taking part in this mediation, experience it as a dispute resolution model. Workplace mediation is approached from the aspect of postmodern organization theory with qualitative research method. The empirical evidence for this study is collected from the discussions within guidance group meetings and also complemented with interviews from participants of the workplace mediation meetings. The collected evidence was analyzed by narrative and content analysis. The main result of this study is itself the model of the workplace mediation in municipal workplaces connecting it to the development of the organization theory from modern to postmodern diversity. The most encouraging result of the mediation is that the destructive conflict then turns into constructive dialogue with the help of the facilitative mediators present. Respecting listener can reinforce those voices the participants use to build their common reality. Workplace mediation is seen as a possible dispute resolution method within the workplace environment. The results of this study within the workplace wellbeing and results of the work can be approved. Further research would be beneficial in finding out if these same results can be achieved within other organizations. As well the possibility to make business of workplace mediation would be interesting.

ABSTRACTThe purposes of this study were to identify and categorize the discursive practices through which consumers negotiate a lifestyle‐related identity in online lifestyle consumption communities. The empirical case is a very active community of consumers who adhere to the low‐carb/high‐fat diet. The paper contributes to communal consumption literature by showing how a lifestyle identity and the community evolve together. Focusing on an online community with lifestyle focus differentiates this study from previous research because nutritional choices influence the consumers' everyday life in a comprehensive manner. By employing a netnographic analysis on discussion board messages, 11 discursive practices are identified. These practices are categorized according to confirming/challenging and self‐directed/community‐directed dimensions. The paper provides a typology of online community dynamics, emphasizing the importance of challenging practices for community development. It also has important implications for companies who wish to understand food lifestyles and develop online platforms for their customers.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PurposeExisting research suggests a multitude of approaches to value co‐creation that bring with them a range of different ideas on what constitutes the concept. The purpose of this paper is to identify the sources of the differing approaches, and so reduce the complexity of the concept and develop a business‐oriented analytical framework for assessing the opportunities presented by value co‐creation.Design/methodology/approachThrough exploration of the different theoretical approaches to value co‐creation the sources of friction are identified. Addressing the conceptual complexity provides a sound basis for the development of a business‐oriented analytical framework.FindingsThe multifaceted nature of value co‐creation arises owing to the differing approaches to what determines the value, the co‐, and the creation elements of the concept. The study concludes that both scholars and practitioners should focus more on identifying and understanding what kind of value is co‐created for whom, using what resources, and through what mechanism.Practical implicationsA business‐oriented analytical framework is developed that helps practitioners to assess and approach the opportunities presented by value co‐creation.Originality/valueThe paper introduces an analytical and fresh perspective on value co‐creation. It helps to clarify the nuances in the nature of the concept and contributes to an enhanced understanding of it.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterise executives' inside-out (firm-oriented) and outside-in (market-oriented) mental models. As these two orientations are vital for strategic decision-making, yet potentially contradictory, it is important to understand the role of inside-out and outside-in thinking in executives' agendas.


Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative, semi-structured interviews of 15 senior executives were used to capture insights into executives' mental models. Data analysis was conducted following the principles of abstraction, theory emerging from data and constant comparison.


Findings
Four archetypes of executive mental models are identified and characterised along two dimensions (inside-out or outside-in orientation and focus on rational or emotional aspects).


Practical implications
The study introduces a tentative framework for practitioners to identify and deploy the potential of the mental models that guide executive decision-making.


Originality/value
The study extends prior research on mental models by combining this approach with inside-out and outside-in orientations and customer value propositions. In addition, it introduces four archetypes that illustrate the distinct potential of different mental models.

Purpose
– Despite the fact that customer orientation is increasingly used as a strategic guideline to ensure companies' long-term success, it is too often left at conceptual level without any managerial or executive translation. To address this practical gap, the purpose of the paper is to build an executive perspective on customer orientation through the mechanism of customer value dimensions.


Design/methodology/approach
– An intensive case study from a successful retail service business is used to illustrate how customer orientation is applied in actual strategic decision making at the executive level. The case business is a multi-sector service business that took a strategic turn toward customer orientation in the 2000s. As a result, the company has been able to increase their market share to become the market leader as well as stay ahead of the competition and increase customer loyalty.


Findings
– The study provides a practical tool of disentangling customer orientation into four customer value dimensions and linking them with appropriate executive level strategic decision making.


Practical implications
– The study helps executives uncover the inner meaning of customer orientation, move beyond traditional conceptualization of customer orientation, and adopt customer value orientation. This necessitates not only understanding customer value criteria, but also linking the diverse criteria to executive level strategic decision making.


Originality/value
– The study concretizes and uncovers how customer orientation can be implemented by incorporating both economic, functional, emotional, and symbolic customer value dimensions into executive level strategic decision making.

Purpose
– The purpose of the article is to identify and analyze the challenges of business-to-business (B2B) research relevance from the point of view of top executives.


Design/methodology/approach
– Ten in-depth interviews with top executives from different B2B industries were conducted and analyzed by using Arndt's (1985) elements of a healthy discipline, i.e. knowledge, problems and instruments.


Findings
– The findings reveal 12 challenges that characterize contemporary B2B research relevance from a top executive perspective.


Research limitations/implications
– The research offers genuine top executive insight. More research from different perspectives is needed to broaden the understanding of B2B research relevance.


Originality/value
– Reflecting B2B research with the identified challenges can contribute to better research designs, narrowing the gap between B2B scholars and practitioners. Altogether, it contributes to the health of the B2B discipline. The study also introduces a new approach to analyzing research relevance by using the elements of scientific balance.