Suchergebnisse

The flexibility of people in modern societies rests upon their capacity to divide themselves into separate modules of thought and action, and deploy them in ways that fit their purposes. The practice of 'informatizing' work by converting tasks into software-based processes entails the modular design of work, because software has a modular form. We use the concept of modularity to analyse the implications of informatization in the empirical context of a 'shared service centre' providing professional services. We make three contributions. First, informatization enlarges the scope for organizational flexibility, because the organization can be treated as a configuration of modules which can be reshuffled to suit changing circumstances. Second, employees must attempt to deploy enhanced modular capabilities, by executing any given set of processes, in a flexible, unemotional and time-efficient fashion. Third, given the ability to informatize complex service work, and the existence of organizational templates which accommodate it, the modular design and management of other services may become more common.

Throughout our adult lives we have both been haunted by a certain sense of doubleness—a feeling of dislocation, of being in the wrong place, of playing a role. Inspired by Stevenson's novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde we explore this doubleness through evocative, dual, autoethnographic accounts of academic conferences. By analysing our stories in an iterative process of writing, reading, rewriting and rereading, we seek to extend the reach of much recent autoethnographic research. Presenting ourselves as objects of research, we show how, for us, contemporary academic identity is problematic in that it necessarily involves being (at least) 'both' Jekyll and Hyde. In providing readings of our stories, we show how autoethnography can make two contributions to the study of identity in organizations. The first is that autoethnographic accounts may provide scholars with new forms of empirical material—case studies in identity work. The second contribution highlights the value of experimenting with unorthodox approaches—such as explicitly using novels and other literary sources to study identity.

Focuses on the problems of transferring western models of
management to other cultures with specific reference to the UK and
Egyptian technical education sector. Using Hofstede′s framework, a
cultural overview of UK and Egyptian public sector education principals
is provided. Reveals substantial cultural differences between the two
groups suggesting that the transferability of western management models
and practices is fraught with difficulties. Concludes that there is a
need to mould and adapt management concepts and practices developed in
the West to local cultural conditions in order for them to be
appropriate and applicable. In demonstrating this, offers one of the
first attempts to apply Hofstede′s questionnaire in studying cultural
differences in the public sector.

In this paper we combine work on rhetorical strategies with that of organizational identity theory. We highlight the relationship between organizational identity and the deployment of discursive resources at the societal level by organizations seeking to influence such identities. We analyse the way in which an extreme right political organization, the Vlaams Belang, has used rhetorical framing and strategies to construct a collective identity. This framing is aimed at persuading potential supporters of the organization to identify themselves with it. We argue that these frames derive their characteristic form and power from broader social and political processes that are given insufficient attention in published work on identity in organizations. We discuss the implications of our study for organizational theory, particularly the political and ethical questions raised by the use of potentially manipulative strategies. We conclude with a discussion of the ethical problems that arise when an organization's managers attempt to direct identity formation by exploiting a persistent desire for stability and continuity in a world where it becomes ever more elusive.

Drawing on contemporary interviews and archival data, we explore how stories can be used as templates to guide jazz musicians' sensemaking about the leadership of teams, what it means to be a jazz musician and what jazz is (or is not). By going beyond the metaphorical notion of jazz as improvisation, we contribute to theories of leadership by showing how informal storytelling can act as a powerful sensemaking and sensegiving mechanism for leadership and organizing. We also explore the contested nature of stories drawing on the notion of 'antenarrative'. Our analysis contributes to the body of work on leader sensegiving and storytelling by examining the conditions under which a story's sensegiving power may be restricted. Our research suggests that the sensegiving power of an ante-narrative and associated stories depends on whether or not they attempt to counter a dominant discourse.

Arguably, the government's aim of using the reward of "earned autonomy" and Foundation Trust status as an incentive to improve performance in the NHS will only be effective if Trust managers view greater autonomy as both desirable and realistic. This article examines this issue by investigating the extent to which members of an NHS Trust's senior management team perceive themselves as autonomous, the factors most likely to hinder their ability to operate autonomously, and the extent to which managers want greater autonomy. In the event, autonomy was largely restricted by extensive centrally dictated targets. Entrenched professional interests and a lack of managerial skills on the part of clinician managers suggested limitations on the extent to which autonomy can be realistically devolved. Additionally, there was little belief among managers that greater autonomy would enable healthcare services to be delivered more effectively. (Original abstract)